Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down
by Mystewitch
Summary: What if just as Elena realizes that Stefan and Damon are vampires she bolts and there is a tragic accident?  Stefan can't bring himself to save her for fear of damning her for all eternity.  Damon, snatches Elena from his arms and turns her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Thanks to everyone who followed me over from one of my other stories (One Is the Loneliest Number and Roadtrip), I appreciate you taking the time to read. As I said this is a bit of an experiment for me to try my hand at first person POV to see if it'll work for my new book. I appreciate all comments and criticisms offered. **

**The premise is this: What if just as Elena realizes that Stefan and Damon are vampires she bolts and there is a tragic accident? As she lies dying in Stefan's arms, he can't bring himself to save her for fear of damning her for all eternity to the same curse that he struggles with. Damon, unburdened by the same concerns, snatches Elena from his arms and turns her. Elena wakes to a whole new world as a vampire. How will she react to her new un-life? Will she become just like Katherine? How will this change her feelings for Stefan? And now that she shares this new connection with Damon as her maker, will they grow closer? Will Damon just use her as a pawn in his personal war against Stefan? Or will he let her into his heart?**

It was ironic that this happened to me; I was never a night person at heart. I craved the sunshine with its warmth and light, and I always felt better when my skin held a nice healthy tan. _The early bird gets the worm_ was my motto, even during the summer months when I didn't have to get up quite so early for school.

Those days I hadn't been sleeping all that much anyway, my dreams a battleground for every fear and regret I had ever harbored to tangle with my unfulfilled wishes and dreams. Most mornings I awoke eager for the distraction of school and friends, it was those lonely darkened hours that I dreaded most.

So you can see right off the bat why a vampire was the very last thing I would have chosen to be.

Perhaps if I'd been given a choice I might have thought differently, but at the time all I could think of was what I'd lost that night, not what I'd gained. That night will forever be etched in my mind with perfect clarity, the night that Elena Gilbert died and I was born.

"What now?"

I heard Stefan's voice, sounding strained and upset. What was going on?

"What do you mean what now? It's over and done with. She'll either wake up or she won't."

I could practically hear the shrug in Damon's voice, the disinterest, real or feigned. Were they arguing about me? _I'm awake…_ I tried to speak but to my growing horror I found that I could not move and my eyes would not budge no matter how hard I tried to force them open.

"You had no right to do that to her, whatever there is between us, this is a low blow even for you." Stefan's voice rose sharply.

"Hey, I thought I was helping." Damon retorted. "I took care of her when you didn't have the balls to do it yourself. She would have died if I hadn't done it."

Died? What had happened to me? And why couldn't I move? Panic started to well within me and I could feel a silent tear slip from the corner of my eye, unnoticed by the men in the room. No… not men… vampires…

All at once the memory returned, my argument with Stefan, his admission of what he was; what they were.

Vampires.

The confirmation had sent me flying off into the night, really to upset to drive but I had needed to get out of there, needed to absent myself from Stefan's hurt puppy dog look. Where had he gotten off with the nerve to have such a hangdog look after how things had gone down? _He_ was the one who had lied to me in the first place!

After that my memories were a little blurry… there were headlights and I had swerved… there was a flash as a tree loomed large in the headlights… There was a clear memory of Stefan holding me in his arms but then it changed and it was Damon's icy blue eyes staring down at me intently. It was enough to make my head spin again as I tried to sort through what was imagined and what was real.

"What kind of life can I offer her now?" Stefan sighed.

"The not-dead kind?" Damon quipped.

_Oh sweet Jesus… he hadn't…_ My eyes snapped open, an unnecessary gasp tearing through me out of habit.

"She's awake!" Stefan rushed to my side and I had to admit, a wave of relief washed over me at seeing his familiar face. Only he looked different to me now, in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on. He looked… more. More everything, more handsome, more tired and drawn, more worried, as if everything about him was exaggerated.

"W-what's going on?" My voice sounded shrill to my ears and I couldn't help but wince, doing my best to swallow back my fear. I felt… wrong somehow, but again I couldn't quite identify why.

"Welcome back Sleeping Beauty." Damon was suddenly there, looking over Stefan's shoulder at me, his expression inscrutable. If Stefan looked different, it was tenfold for Damon. Already a good looking guy by any standards (not that I would ever have told him so to his face!), there was an irresistible lure to him now that made the air whistle softly through my teeth at my quick intake of breath.

I was tired of lying down and I might have said something to that effect as I pushed myself up to a seated position, but I was too busy looking at my surroundings to be sure if I'd spoken out loud. It wasn't my own bedroom, or a hospital but Stefan's bed that I found myself in. "I feel…" Dizzy, confused, cold, itchy, nauseous, sore, tired. Wrong… "…different." My tongue finally supplied and I again marveled at the sound of my own voice. Was it my ears or the timbre of my voice that had changed? It was impossible to tell.

Damon chuckled, withdrawing to take a seat across the room. "That's a serious understatement." He muttered.

"It's natural that you feel a bit… disoriented for a while, your body's been through quite a change." Stefan said gently, and I could see the pucker of worry between his brows.

Uh-oh. "There was an accident…" I raised my hand before my eyes, the vague memory of the fingers being crushed against the car door returning to me. As I bent and flexed my perfect fingers, I noticed that my skin was flawless, smooth and supple if a little pale. "What did you do to me?" My eyes went to Stefan, unable to keep the note of accusation out of my voice.

"I…" Stefan looked like he wanted to dig himself a hole and pull the dirt in after him.

"He didn't do it, I did." Damon spoke up, saluting me with his drink.

I stared back, my attention going back and forth between them as the reality of what he'd done sank in. I was like them now, a dead thing, no longer human. I would live forever but never be truly alive again; and I would need to feed… "Why didn't you just let me die?" My voice was low, barely above a whisper but I knew they could both clearly hear me.

Damon snorted, pushing himself up to his feet. "Yeah… sounds like you two are M.F.E.O." He drained his drink, setting it negligently aside. "As much fun as this conversation is apt to be, I think I'll take off for now. Have fun kids."

Typical. As soon the damage was done, Damon skipped out with a merry song in his heart. Did he even have a heart? I didn't even bother to look at him as he left, my gaze riveted on Stefan who would not meet my eyes. Idly I wondered just how old he was, but I was still too angry to ask. "How could you let him do this to me?" My voice fairly dripped with venom and now his eyes met mine.

"When have I been able to stop Damon from doing anything?" He retorted bitterly.

I could tell this rivalry between them had been going on for years upon years. What had sparked it all? "Why does he hate you so much Stefan? What did you ever do to him? Why bring me into it at all?" There were so many why's floating around in my head I wanted to scream. It was inconceivable to me back then that it could all stem from the love of a woman, did anyone truly love so deeply?

"Because naturally it's my fault?" Stefan returned, his eyes hooded with so much pain that I recoiled from it.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to understand." I said softly.

"I know…" Stefan rose and went to his bookcase, withdrawing something and gazing at it for a long moment before her turned, the flat object held close to his heart. "I've told you before, about Katherine…"

I felt myself nod absently, what did Katherine have to do with any of it? Sure they had both been involved with her at one point but wasn't she dead? Why would Damon take things that far, was he just a sore loser? Or was there something more to it?

"We both loved her, but she wasn't just an ex-girlfriend." He said softly, coming to kneel at my feet. "Katherine… was the vampire that turned us, both of us."

My mouth dropped open at that, but no words came. How could they have both not only fallen in love with the same woman, but for a vampire? Just as quickly I realized the absurdity of the thought, wasn't I in love with a vampire? As I stared down at Stefan's upturned face, I realized that I did still have feelings for him. Despite all the secrets and lies and the fact that he was a monster, he was still the same person, wasn't he? Or had it all been a lie?

I moistened my lips, preparing to respond, but his hand rose up to stay my reply. "There's more…"

_Sweet mother of god, how much more could I take?_ I nodded again, not trusting myself to speak.

"This… was Katherine." Stefan turned over the card, revealing a picture of a woman close enough to be my twin done in black and white, her hair done up elaborately in an old fashioned style. "And that's why Damon hasn't been able to leave you alone; why he hasn't been able to let me have you either."

There were no words to express how I was feeling in that moment, the shock of looking into the mirror of those dark eyes, knowing this was surely what had brought both Damon and Stefan to my door. Had any of it been real? Or was Stefan just chasing the dream of his lost lady love? What did this mean for us? Was there still an us?

It was too much, and I felt the room start to dip and sway. My hands clutched at the bedspread beneath me, my eyes squinching tightly shut as I fought for a steadying breath my body didn't need. "I can't… I can't do this, not on top of everything else. I need to go home." Despite the dizziness, I launched myself to my feet, throwing myself off balance as my muscles propelled me farther than I had intended.

Before I could stumble into the doorframe, Stefan was there, his arms around me, keeping me from harm. "Let me take you home."

I didn't argue, though he was the last person I wanted to be around at the moment, I wasn't sure if I could make it home on my own. And there was the small matter of my car, which was wrapped around a tree somewhere, the last time I saw it. _Jenna was gonna kill me…_ Hysterical laughter bubbled forth then at that thought. Everything going on and I was worried about what my Aunt was gonna say for wrecking the car? I giggled uncontrollably, all the while that Stefan guided me down the stairs. One look at the concern on Stefan's face set me off again on another string of giggles, surely he must have thought me unhinged.

Somewhat more subdued, I slid into the passenger's seat, not bothering with a seatbelt, my focus on the scenery blurring outside the window as he drove.

"There are some things we should talk about." Stefan began.

"Does it have to be right now? I'm kinda on information overload at the moment." I replied without looking at him. I could feel his hesitation like a palpable thing, but I refused to budge for the moment. A bit selfish? Maybe, but then again, I was entitled to a fit of pique, it wasn't every day that a girl got killed after all.

"There are things you have to know, about what you are now…" He continued, "What you need to expect."

He had my attention now, and I turned to look at him. "What do you mean what to expect? I'm a vampire now aren't I?" Good lord, there wasn't some kind of secret society of vampires I was gonna have to swear fealty to or something equally as ridiculous, was there?

"Not exactly."

He had my _full_ attention now, was there a way to get out of this? Some way to restore my humanity by killing off the head vampire? I admit my experiences were largely colored by cheesy vampire movies. I blame cable TV… "I'm listening."

"You haven't completed the transformation yet."

I could have kissed him. "Then there's still a chance to fix this? Whatever it is, I'll take it." I volunteered eagerly.

"No, not fix it… Elena… you died. There's no way to regain your humanity, but you won't transition into a full vampire until you drink blood."

I could have joyfully wrung his neck. I died. The words sounded so strange to me, sitting beside him in his sporty little car; we could have been on the way to the movies on any normal night, not having this ridiculous conversation. I would never regain my humanity, but that didn't mean I had take someone else's. Would drinking vampire blood suffice? I had a victim in mind already… "Does it have to be human?"

"Yes, and it has to be fresh, no blood bank bags will do."

I digested that for a moment, my thoughts swirling and jumbling together. "How much does it take? I mean I could just have a little bit and not really hurt someone too badly, right?" That might not be so bad, just a little taste and then I could switch to blood bank stuff, or what was it those sparkly vampires did? They hunted animals only. I could do that…

"Honestly?"

_No lie to me…_ Why do people always ask '_honestly?'_, has anyone ever responded with anything to the contrary? I simply waited for him to continue without responding to the prompt.

"I don't really know." Stefan continued. "In my experience, a newly made vampire doesn't have the strength to stop at just one taste."

There was something in his voice that made me think he was speaking from personal experience there, but I didn't want to know the circumstances. "So the bottom line is I need to feed from a human to complete the change." I looked to him for confirmation, which was given as a single nod. "So what happens if I don't do it?" Would I remain as a half-breed of sorts?

"Then… you will meet your final death."

The silence stretched between us. Final death… just sounded so… final. I hadn't asked for any of this. I hadn't asked to fall in love with a vampire, or to be turned into one. We never had that all important… _do you want to share eternity with me_… conversation. He was only the second boy I'd ever fallen in love with. Did I really want to be linked to him and his screwed up brother for all eternity as nothing more than a Katherine substitute?

"So that's it then." I said finally, just as we pulled up in front of the house. "I just won't eat anybody and I'll… just slip away."

"Elena… it's a big decision…"

"And it's mine to make." I interrupted him. It was late and I was beyond tired after the emotional upheavals of the day.

"Elena please reconsider… it doesn't have to be this way… you can learn to live without hurting people as I have. You can…"

"Stop it!" The words seemed impossibly loud in the confines of the sports car. "Just leave me alone! All I want is to die in peace, surrounded by my family. It's the least you can do for me after everything, just give me that peace."

His face stricken, Stefan nodded.

Of all the memories that sift through my mind the memory of that moment still remains sharp and clear to this day. The haunted look in his eyes, the utter sense of defeat that emanated from his very pores. The sure knowledge that I would never end up like him, I would be righteous and brave. I would resist temptation and find the strength to hold to my ideals, preserving the sanctity of human life. I would lay myself to rest and find that elusive peace with dignity.

Yeah, none of that happened.

A/N: **Ok guys, tell me what you think? The plot itself aside (because this is seriously the result of about fifteen minutes of brainstorming and that's it), does the first person narrative style work? Do you think the writing might be better served from a 3****rd**** person POV? **

**Depending on the response I might completely scrap this fic and retreat to my corner to lick my wounds, or I might continue and see where it goes. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Thanks for all the encouraging feedback guys. I'll be sticking with this one at least through the next month to see if the 1****st**** person POV grows on me, or if I decide to switch back to 3****rd****. **

"_So that's it then." I said finally, just as we pulled up in front of the house. "I just won't eat anybody and I'll… just slip away."_

"_Elena… it's a big decision…"_

"_And it's mine to make." I interrupted him. It was late and I was beyond tired after the emotional upheavals of the day. _

"_Elena please reconsider… it doesn't have to be this way… you can learn to live without hurting people as I have. You can…"_

"_Stop it!" The words seemed impossibly loud in the confines of the sports car. "Just leave me alone! All I want is to die in peace, surrounded by my family. It's the least you can do for me after everything, just give me that peace."_

_His face stricken, Stefan nodded. _

_Of all the memories that sift through my mind the memory of that moment still remains sharp and clear to this day. The haunted look in his eyes, the utter sense of defeat that emanated from his very pores. The sure knowledge that I would never end up like him, I would be righteous and brave. I would resist temptation and find the strength to hold to my ideals, preserving the sanctity of human life. I would lay myself to rest and find that elusive peace with dignity. _

_Yeah, none of that happened. _

* * *

From the moment I stepped into my house, I knew something was off. At first I wondered if I would even be allowed to enter without an invitation, but there wasn't the slightest bit of resistance as I crossed the threshold. No, the difference wasn't anything so obvious.

Everything looked harsh and bright, and I fought the urge to turn off all the lights, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself. There was a smell in the air… heavy grease from fast food, maybe from Jeremy's dinner, that made my stomach twist with revulsion. The smell grew stronger as I got closer to the kitchen and I spotted one of the wrappers tossed carelessly next to the garbage can. Holding my breath, I picked up the wrapper and threw it away, but the smell lingered; prompting me to set the garbage can outside. Luckily, I found that I didn't have to breath at all if I didn't want to. As unsettling as that was, I waited for a few minutes before I risked another sniff, gratified to realize the smell had faded, only to be replaced with something else… something tantalizing…

Sharp hunger sliced through my middle, and I nearly doubled over at the sensation; clutching the kitchen counter until it faded. All of a sudden I was ravenous, and made a beeline for the fridge, pulling it open a little harder than I'd intended; the bottle rattling from the force of the movement. Rapidly, my eyes scanned the contents, but I couldn't spot what it was that was tempting my senses. Leftover pizza? Too greasy. Cold cuts? Closer… but not quite right. Macaroni and cheese? Ugh… no thanks.

Another waft of the smell reached me and I realized that it wasn't coming from the kitchen at all, but deeper into the house, upstairs perhaps. I followed my nose, pausing on the stairs, sniffing deeply to make sure I was on the right trail. I could hear Jeremy in his room, the tinny sound of the iPod blaring in his ears reaching me even on the stairway.

As I crested the landing, the scent took me away from Jeremy's room and in the direction of the master bedroom where Aunt Jenna slept. Was she eating in her room?

The bedroom itself was empty, but there was a light shining from the master bathroom. In a fog of hunger, my feet carried me closer to the enticing smell. Pausing at the doorway as I caught sight of Jenna perched on the side of the bathtub; a bloody washcloth pressed to her hand. My hand clutched at the doorframe, hard enough to make one of my fingernails split but I didn't care; all I could focus on was the growing crimson stain on the washcloth.

Jenna looked up with a start, a nervous laugh bubbling from her lips. "Elena… god you scared me for a sec. Actually it's a good thing you're here. I'm such an idiot…" She gave a lopsided grin. "I was putting Logan's picture back in the picture frame and I dropped it. I hope you didn't step on any of the broken glass and cut yourself like I did?"

My head shook back and forth slowly, but no words came as I clung to the doorway, fighting the urge to pounce.

"Anyway, could you give me a hand with this? I think the bleeding has slowed down but it's kinda awkward to get a band-aid on by myself…" Jenna pulled away the washcloth to reveal a nasty looking gash on the web between her thumb and forefinger, the blood instantly welling to the surface without the cloth to keep pressure on it.

"Uh, yeah. Of course." I nodded, my voice sounding hoarse as I picked up the bandage from the counter. The band-aid trembled and fluttered in my grasp, and I swallowed as my mouth started to water. I took a step closer to her, and then another, arguing internally that if I just got the band-aid on her, then I wouldn't have to see it anymore. Out of sight out of mind, right?

Only the closer I got to her, the harder it was to resist the call of the blood.

"What's the matter?" Jenna asked, no doubt confused by my hesitant approach.

There was a sharp pain as I felt my fangs descend, and I had time to wonder… would it always hurt like that or was it just the first time?

"Oh my god…" Jenna gasped, and I knew she could see the changes around my eyes, the same way I'd seen them on Stefan. Only I didn't have the strength to pull away as he had. All at once I rushed her, lunging for the open wound and bringing it to my mouth; my sharp teeth tearing the tender skin, enlarging the blood flow.

Jenna was screaming but all I could think about was the delicious nectar my mouth was clamped down around. I had never tasted anything like it before, and in the years that followed, few experiences would match that first taste of blood. It transcended mere food to something more; I could feel her life force pulsing from her body into mine, giving me strength and fueling my lust for more. I could understand now Stefan's words, how a newbie like me could never be satisfied with just a taste; I wanted all she had to give and more.

In a blur I was dragged away from the sweet oblivion of my feeding frenzy, barely conscious of being hauled over muscular shoulders and then tossed onto my bed like a sack of potatoes. I opened my mouth to lash out at my attacker with my newfound weapon but a cold hand clamped over my lips before I had time to even finish thinking about it.

Damon's icy blue eyes appeared before me, fairly sparking with annoyance as he held me to the bed. The hand was instantly replaced by the butt end of a stuffed animal that tasted like moldy socks and I thrashed violently, attempting to spit it out. In that moment I wanted to tear him limb from limb for taking me from my feast. There was no recognition that what he was doing was for my protection or Jenna's, I had no thoughts for consequences; the call of the blood was too strong.

Call of the blood… I've often thought about the sway that it has over us vampires. Even now it's hard to resist its pull but back then at the first taste, I was little more than a ravening beast. There was no Elena, just a sharp, burning need to feed. I didn't give a damn about Jenna or what she must be going through. She could have been lying bleeding to death on the bathroom floor for all I cared; I just knew I wanted more.

While I was doing my best impression of a hell-cat trying to scratch his eyes out, Damon retained that icy calm exterior, easily keeping me in place with one hand while he searched for what he wanted, making do with what was at hand.

To my growing indignity, I found myself trussed up on my own bed, the stuffed animal bound to my mouth to keep me from making any sound. My eyes shot him daggers, the only defense I was allowed, and his eyes lit with a trace of amusement at that. I never wanted him more dead than in that moment as he took delight in my fury.

"There… now that you're all tucked in for the night, I gotta go clean up your mess." His smirk was firmly in place as he looked down at me, surveying his handiwork.

Tucked in for the night? The realization that he might truly leave me trussed up like that all night fueled my rage. I screamed impotently into the stuffed animal, my wrists and ankles straining against the clothes that bound me. All the while I wondered, _shouldn't I have super strength now?_ Sadly it didn't seem to be kicking in fast enough, and all my struggles did was make my wrists and ankles painfully raw. Soon that became the last of my problems as I began to shake uncontrollably from head to toe, my skin burning like it was on fire.

The change. All at once I knew this had to be it, and I lost some of my anger as fear began to set in. Now I was regretting the decision to send Stefan packing without explaining exactly what changes were in store for me. Maybe if I had known what to expect I might not have felt so out of control, my panic fueling the growing sensation that I was truly dying.

I screamed against the gag now in agony instead of rage, but just as impotently as my body grew increasingly sensitive, painfully so. Sweat ran down my body in rivulets from the exertion of the transformation and I began to wonder if it was possible to actually set my bedclothes on fire if my skin got hot enough?

And then Damon was there, gathering me into his arms. I shivered at the touch of his cool limbs, wondering if he was coming to kill me now; take care of this mess that he'd made. At the time I didn't even care, I just wanted the pain to stop, even death would have been a blessing in the face of that all consuming fire that burned me from within.

My eyes grew blurry and unfocused as I shivered weakly in his arms, my body trying desperately to create even more heat to fight off the infection of vampirism. Dimly I registered that he lifted me from the bed and carried me somewhere and then I heard the sound of running water into the bathtub. All at once I felt him lower me into the cold water, clothes and all. I hadn't the presence of mind to object, all I could feel was the immediately soothing effects on my burning limbs.

Gradually I became aware that I was no longer tied up and the gag had been removed. Damon was speaking to me. Soothing words of comfort that I couldn't quite make out, but blended together all soft and sweet as he held me in his arms, bringing cool water to my feverish brow. At one point I could have sworn that I heard him call me Katherine, but I was too tired and worn out to object. My whole world was the cocoon of his arms and the blessedly cool water that bathed my fevered flesh. I whimpered in response to his gentle murmurings, no longer having the strength to struggle or scream.

How long I laid there in the shelter of his arms I'll never know. But at one point I looked up in wonder to see his cheeks wet with tears. Or was I mistaken? Had he merely rubbed his face with wet hands? Once he noticed me looking at him, his expression inscrutable I began to have my doubts.

"Welcome back." He said softly, and I fancied I saw a bit of relief behind those brilliant baby blues.

"Hey…" I replied, my sounding strange to my own ears. Not hoarse as I might have expected from all the screaming, but low and throaty, almost… sexy. Clearing my throat, I sat up higher in the tub, noticing that I could tell how cold the water was, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. There were no goosebumps on my skin and I wasn't shivering at all.

"How long…?"

"Less time than you might think." Damon interrupted, disengaging himself to reach for a fluffy blue bath towel.

It had felt like an eternity, but I have often observed that just as fleeting as pleasure can be, conversely torture can go on endlessly. Stepping out of the bathtub I allowed him to wrap me up as I dripped unconcernedly onto the bath mat. "Am I…?"

"Yep, you made it through the worst of it, welcome to the vampire club." He grinned, rubbing at my wet skin with short efficient movements.

"The vampire club." I snorted, would membership have its privileges? All at once I realized that I'd completely forgotten about my attack on Aunt Jenna, I was so wrapped up in my own drama. "Is Jenna…?"

"She's fine. Dead to the world as in sleeping the sleep of the innocent, not actually dead. She won't remember a thing in the morning." He assured me.

"Do you think that you could let me finish a single thought by myself without interrupting?" I asked grumpily, resenting how he seemed to be able to anticipate my every question.

Damon simply chuckled in that infuriating way of his, bringing his fingers to his lips, he pantomimed locking them up tight and throwing away the key.

I waited for a moment to see if there was more forthcoming, but he seemed content to remain mute as he finished toweling me off. There was a curious sense of surrealism as he lifted one of my feet to gently dry off my toes. Here was the big bad, Damon Salvatore. Scheming, devilish, hellbent on wreaking havoc… drying off my little piggies so I wouldn't slip and fall and break my neck. Not that it would have killed me anymore…

I cleared my throat again, pulling my foot from his grasp, a little unnerved by the innocent touch. "Will anything like that happen to me again?" I asked with not a little trepidation. If that was to be a regular occurrence I might as well go find a stake and be done with it.

Damon waited an extra half beat before he responded and I could feel him mocking my request not to interrupt me. "Like I said, the worst of it is over. You'll have an adjustment period while you get used to your new abilities. Your senses might go a little haywire from time to time but nothing like what you just went through tonight, I promise." He said earnestly.

That was comforting. I wasn't sure I had the strength to go through something like that again, I didn't know how I would have survived without Damon to bring me through it. Did all vampires experience such a thing? The way he'd known exactly how to care for me seemed to indicate that they did.

"So what happens now?" I asked, wringing my shirt out into the sink.

"Who the hell knows? I'm not psychic." He gave a careless shrug, tossing the towel carelessly aside and leaning against the counter.

My teeth pressed against the inside of my lips as I fought the snide retort that leapt to them. Like it or not I needed him at the moment, keenly feeling my own lack of experience in all things vampire. "I mean… to me. Will I fall into a coma as soon as the sun rises? Will I burn if I'm not in a coffin? I see I still have a reflection, what about holy water and garlic and silver?" The questions tumbled from my lips without end.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, one thing at a time before you have an aneurism." His hands came up in a supplicating gesture, that trace of annoyance coming back to his eyes, he looked like he wanted to disappear out the window.

I forced myself to stem the flow of questions, but my eyes begged him silently to respond.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked like he was starting to get a migraine. Did vampires get migraines? My mouth opened to ask him but I snapped it shut again, thinking better of the question.

"I knew I was gonna regret this…" He muttered disgustedly.

**A/N: Okay it was a little easier once I started to get into it, but it's still a struggle so bear with me guys while I find my footing. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Thanks for the feedback guys. To answer a few questions: No, Damon did not take care of Isobel the same way he took care of Elena with the cool bath, (but Elena has no idea that he turned Isobel at this point either, it's kind of sick in a way if you think about it). Yes Damon really did call her Katherine at some point, I'll leave you to wonder just what that means at this time. Yeah it was sucky of Stefan to leave her like that, and probably a bit Out of character. I can't help it, I am a Delena fan at heart! I'll try to temper that bias a little going forward. **

"_So what happens now?" I asked, wringing my shirt out into the sink. _

"_Who the hell knows? I'm not psychic." He gave a careless shrug, tossing the towel carelessly aside and leaning against the counter. _

_My teeth pressed against the inside of my lips as I fought the snide retort that leapt to them. Like it or not I needed him at the moment, keenly feeling my own lack of experience in all things vampire. "I mean… to me. Will I fall into a coma as soon as the sun rises? Will I burn if I'm not in a coffin? I see I still have a reflection, what about holy water and garlic and silver?" The questions tumbled from my lips without end. _

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa, one thing at a time before you have an aneurism." His hands came up in a supplicating gesture, that trace of annoyance coming back to his eyes, he looked like he wanted to disappear out the window. _

_I forced myself to stem the flow of questions, but my eyes begged him silently to respond. _

_Pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked like he was starting to get a migraine. Did vampires get migraines? My mouth opened to ask him but I snapped it shut again, thinking better of the question. _

"_I knew I was gonna regret this…" He muttered disgustedly._

* * *

It felt like hours later when we found ourselves sitting there looking at each other. Me sitting on my bed and Damon slowly but surely edging his way closer and closer to the window.

"So… we're good?" He said finally when his last explanation hadn't spawned three more questions from me. Damon looked as frazzled as I felt, his eyes a little wild as he looked longingly towards the freedom lying on the other side of that thin pane of glass.

I nodded slowly, still in a bit of information overload after all he'd told me. Too soon, I thought of another question and my mouth opened to ask him but he was already gone. "Yeah… we're good." I said to the empty room, feeling so alone… so disconnected from the rest of the world. Rising on silent feet, I strode to the open window but there was no sign of him. Idly I wondered if I would ever see him again? If he considered his duties discharged in explaining the Vampire facts of life to me, or if he would continue to seek me out in some kind of struggle to stick it to Stefan?

My thoughts returned to the disjointed images of Damon comforting me through my transition. The memories were already becoming soft and hazy with the filter of pain already starting to lose its hold on my mind. How much of that had been real and how much the result of my fevered imagination?

With a sigh I left the window, securing the shutters firmly. One fact remained; I would need to secret myself away from the light of day. Without a protective ring I was at the mercy of the sun. Mechanically I went through the motions of getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair that already seemed darker and more lustrous. Changing into soft pajama pants and a tank top, I was just pulling back the covers when I heard the knock at the front door, too soft for human ears to pick up.

Closing my eyes I extended my new senses, head canting to one side as I tried to see if I could tell who it might be. I picked up the soft sounds of Jenna and Jeremy in the house but whoever was at the front door was absolutely silent; that spelled vampire. Could Damon have returned?

I surprised myself with how swiftly I descended the stairs. In fact, my balance was so thrown out of whack that I slammed into the front door with an "oof" as the breath was knocked out of me. So much for being stealthy…

Stefan stood on the other side of the door, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. "Stefan…" I must have sounded surprised because he had the good grace to look contrite for showing up so late, unannounced after I'd told him to leave me the hell alone to die in peace.

I thought for a moment he might take me into his arms when he took a step closer to me, but he must have thought better of it when I automatically moved a step backwards, because he stayed where he was. "Elena… you're…" His thoughts trailed off as his eyes swept over my face, and I wondered what it was he saw now when he looked at me? Was it Katherine all over again?

"What are you doing here?" I asked, clinging to the doorframe.

"After Damon left I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"How did you know Damon was here?" My brows drew together in puzzlement.

Stefan looked at his feet, rubbing the back of his neck absently as if he had been hoping I wouldn't ask that one. "I was…"

"Stalking me?" A single brow was raised now.

"Concerned." He corrected me. "I didn't want you to die alone. So if that was really going to be your choice, I wanted to be here for you at the end."

That was almost sweet, but also just a little disturbing when you thought about it. "Yeah… so much for my good intentions huh?" I tried for a laugh but it came out rather humorless.

"It'll be ok Elena, I promise." This time when he moved to put his arms around me I didn't resist, taking comfort in his embrace, my head rested against his shoulder. I could almost pretend that none of this had happened, that it was him hugging me goodnight before he went home after a normal date. Except for the hole in my heart that felt like it was growing faster than I could process it.

"It'll be light out soon, have you given any thought as to where you'll spend the day?" Stefan asked softly, patting my hair.

"I thought here…" Where else would I sleep?

Stefan pulled back to look into my eyes, his fingers still moving unconsciously through my long tresses. "Not a great idea, especially at first. You'll be very tired and weak during the day. If someone came in and opened the windows… you'd react instinctively, and might hurt them, not to mention the fact that the sun would hurt you." He pointed out.

I hadn't thought of that one. Given how quick I'd been to attack Jenna at the first sign of temptation I was especially worried about hurting her again. Sure I could try and compel her into forgetting but with as many mistakes as I was likely to make I could end up turning her brain into strawberry jello. "Maybe the attic?" I said doubtfully, though the thought was unappealing.

"Why don't you come back to the boarding house?" He offered so smoothly that I wondered if the suggestion hadn't been the entire reason for his knocking on my door?

"Home with you?" I wasn't too sure about that. It seemed like a million years ago that I demanded that he drive me home, but I'd been a little preoccupied with things to really sit down and think about where we stood as a couple now.

He seemed to catch on to the hesitation in my voice and spoke quickly to convince. "Yeah, we've got tons of room, I wasn't making any assumptions on where you would spend the night." I didn't say no automatically so he continued. "I'll make sure you're not disturbed and when you wake up… we can talk. I can even show you how to hunt tomorrow night if that's something you're interested in."

He had me at that last, we needed to talk and I did need to learn how to sustain myself without hurting people, at least that was my goal. If he could do it I could, right? "Alright." I nodded. "Let me just get a few things together." I think he was probably expecting me to invite him inside, but instead I shut the door with him still on the porch. There would be time enough to talk once we were away, and I was starting to feel a little antsy with the dawn approaching. A self preservation instinct I supposed.

*** back from commercial ***

It was another quiet ride to the boarding house, but not nearly so uncomfortable as the one that had driven me home earlier that night. I was lost in my own thoughts and Stefan seemed content in the knowledge that I was returning with him. Perhaps that was the result of immortality? A deeper sense of patience.

As we pulled in front of the house I wondered if Damon would be there and if he'd be sorry to see me after the hours we'd spent together? Seeming to read my thoughts, Stefan gave me a little smile. "You don't have to see anyone if you don't want to." My opinion of Damon was well known as I hadn't hesitated in giving him a piece of my mind in the past.

"What? Oh, you mean Damon? It's fine. I'm actually glad he was there tonight, you know? He made it a lot less scary that it probably would have been alone." I admitted freely since Damon wasn't around to overhear. I saw his face crumple at that and guessed that Stefan was probably sorry he hadn't been the one to nurse me through it and show me the ropes.

Just as swiftly his expression cleared to a bland smile and he gave my knee a light pat. "I'm glad you weren't alone." He said simply, opening his door and coming around to open mine.

I glanced nervously up at the sky that was starting to grow noticeably lighter as I stepped out of the car. Logically I knew I had a half hour or more before it would start to be a problem and we were already at the house, but my skin had started to feel itchy and crawly and I couldn't get into the house fast enough.

Without questioning where he was leading me, I followed Stefan into the house and upstairs, surprised as he led me to his bedroom. I fixed him with a look that spoke volumes and he actually took a half step backwards, his hands coming up in a supplicating gesture. "I thought you might be most comfortable here, I'll find another place to crash." He offered.

Stepping inside the room, I couldn't help but focus on the bank of windows on one side of the room. Sure the tall shutters were closed now, but at any time of the day someone could open them, and where would I be? Somehow I doubted I would get a very peaceful day's rest constantly worrying about being turned into toast. "So many windows…" I shook my head, hoping he'd understand.

Gratefully Stefan seemed to grasp the reason for my discomfort immediately and I could see him consider and discard other options by the furrow of his brow. There were plenty of other rooms in the boarding house, but I took it by his look of dissatisfaction that they all had plenty of windows. "Sorry, it's not something we've really had to worry much about." He gave a helpless shrug.

"Walk in closet?" I asked with a hopeful smile, "At this point even the attic is starting to sound good."

A little light seemed to click on inside his head. "I have just the place." Stefan caught hold of my hand and then we were moving at super speed, my hair landing in a dark cloud around my shoulders as we stopped in the middle of an underground passageway beneath the house. It took me a moment to orient myself, looking around with interest at the row of little rooms.

"What is this place? The cellar?" Through one of the doorways I did see what looked like a wine cellar.

"Yeah something like that." Stefan replied, leading me a room farther down the hallway. "It's not much… but it'll be a safe place for you until nightfall."

I stepped into the little room, taking in the dank stone walls and the little cot in the corner. Had someone actually been staying down there? The steel door looked strong enough to keep someone in, even a vampire. "Cozy." I murmured.

"I could bring you down some better blankets or a mattress." Stefan was quick to offer.

"I'll be just fine, really." I waved off his concern. "I'll probably sleep like the dead right?" I tried for a smile mostly just to see if he would smile in return as I lay down on the sturdy cot. In truth I wasn't feeling the cold and I was growing sleepier by the moment.

"Yeah, something like that." Stefan did give up a faint smile as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I'll be back for you when the sun goes down."

"You're not going to lock me in are you?" My eyes went to the heavy metal door with some trepidation.

"Of course not." His eyes widened in surprise and I could see that the thought had never occurred to him. "Tomorrow night I'll take you hunting. You'll see, everything will be alright. I'll take care of you."

He seemed so pleased by the notion I didn't have the heart to voice any doubts. "Good night… or day, or whatever." I yawned, my eyes drifting shut.

My body was tired, ready to shut down for the day, but my brain was otherwise engaged. There was so much to worry about, so much that was unknown to me. Would I continue with school? How could I? What would I tell Jenna and Jeremy? My friends? Would I really be able to survive on animal's blood?

I could no longer hear Stefan moving around as my thoughts started to settle down and I heard a different voice come floating out to me from the passageway.

"It doesn't have to be this big either or you know." Damon smirked, and I opened my eyes to see him leaning casually in the doorway.

"Is this the obligatory 'give in to the dark side' speech?" I smirked back, overcoming my surprise at seeing him again so soon.

"So melodramatic, I am much better looking than the emperor." He waved away my comment, adding after a moment's thought. "And I could kick his ass too."

I couldn't help but laugh softly at that, the thought of Damon taking on the Emperor from Star Wars was quite a vivid image.

"I could show you the ropes if you want." He offered.

I blinked at the offer; I'd been under the distinct impression that he had disliked playing Vampire tutor earlier. "Show me the ropes?"

"Yeah sure, you know, where to go, how to be careful, what kind of person makes the best meal. Why shouldn't you benefit from my years of experience? The whole virgin thing? Total crap. But fear? Oh yeah. It adds a spice that's…" Damon paused to kiss his fingertips, "…ungh so nice." He grinned.

"You're sick." But I laughed again in spite of myself.

"I'm a vampire." Damon gave a shrug. "So are you I might point out. Just you wait, you didn't last too long up on your high horse when you were gonna die rather than feed did you?"

He had a point there, though I didn't like to admit it. A dozen nasty retorts leapt to my lips but in the end I just closed my eyes. "I know." I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Long moments went by and I thought he might have gone but then I heard his response, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Don't beat yourself up about it, it's part of what you are now. At least you didn't kill her, you get high marks for that."

"Yeah only because you were there to stop me." I snorted. "Why were you there by the way?" I opened my eyes again to look up at him.

That stopped him and for a moment it struck me that maybe he didn't exactly know himself. "Morbid curiosity." He replied flippantly.

"No really, why stick around? You don't even like me?" I pressed.

"Maybe I was hoping you'd be a bit more fun with my blood running through your veins?" Damon's ever present smirk was firmly back in place and I began to accept that I wouldn't be getting a straight answer from him that night.

"Yeah okay, whatever." I yawned, Stefan was right, I was getting very tired. It was almost as though I could feel the sun rising higher in the sky even though I couldn't see it.

"Goodnight Elena." His voice sounded blurry and indistinct to me as I started to drift off to sleep. I heard myself give a vague murmur in response. "And I never said I didn't like you." If he said more, I didn't hear it.

**Feedback is Love People**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

_Long moments went by and I thought he might have gone but then I heard his response, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Don't beat yourself up about it, it's part of what you are now. At least you didn't kill her, you get high marks for that."_

"_Yeah only because you were there to stop me." I snorted. "Why were you there by the way?" I opened my eyes again to look up at him. _

_That stopped him and for a moment it struck me that maybe he didn't exactly know himself. "Morbid curiosity." He replied flippantly._

"_No really, why stick around? You don't even like me?" I pressed._

"_Maybe I was hoping you'd be a bit more fun with my blood running through your veins?" Damon's ever present smirk was firmly back in place and I began to accept that I wouldn't be getting a straight answer from him that night._

"_Yeah okay, whatever." I yawned, Stefan was right, I was getting very tired. It was almost as though I could feel the sun rising higher in the sky even though I couldn't see it. _

"_Goodnight Elena." His voice sounded blurry and indistinct to me as I started to drift off to sleep. I heard myself give a vague murmur in response. "And I never said I didn't like you." If he said more, I didn't hear it._

* * *

The next thing I knew, the day had passed in a deep and dreamless sleep. Though there were no windows in the room, I could feel that it was dark outside. As I opened my eyes, I was startled to find Stefan sitting on the ground watching me sleep. "Geezus…" I gasped, whacking the back of my head on the stone wall as my body instinctively flinched backwards. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Not that long. The sun's been down for about a half an hour." Stefan had the good grace to look a little guilty over having startled me.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"I thought you might need the sleep." He gave a faint shrug, watching me intently.

Suddenly it occurred to me that I hadn't spoken to Jenna since the attack. Reaching for my phone, I was surprised to see no missed calls. "I need to call Jenna, she's probably going out of her mind right now."

"I already called her, told her you were coming over here for dinner tonight." Stefan offered with a faint smile. "She thinks you were up early before she got up today, no worries."

For some reason it didn't sit quite right with me that he'd taken the liberty, though I suppose I should have been grateful that he'd thought of it. "Oh… thanks." I gave him a tight smile as I sat up and stretched. The first thing I noticed was that I felt no aches or pains from sleeping on the cramped cot, in fact, I felt kinda incredible.

"How are you, are you ok?" Stefan seemed concerned about something, but I was too engrossed with how I was feeling to pay him much mind. Belatedly I realized that he'd said something to me.

"Hm? Yeah I'm fine. Great even." That was a serious understatement. I felt strong enough to lift a car… and I probably could. The idea made me feel giddy.

"I thought that maybe we should…"

As I bounded up to my feet, I knew there was a loopy smile on my face, but I just couldn't help it. So far being dead felt _amazing_.

"Race you upstairs." A carefree laugh bubbled out of me and I ran… no, I _flew _up the stairs to the living room. Stefan was fast on my trail, so I blew out the front door, pausing just at the entrance to the woods. Surprised at how clear my vision was even in the uncertain light, my head canted to one side as I listened to the sounds hanging on the night air.

At my side, Stefan looked less than thrilled with my running out on him, but I ignored his discomfort. "Lets go for a run." I suggested, looking longingly towards the trees.

Stefan's brows drew together to form a single dark line against his pale features. "Elena… first we really need to talk…"

My eager smile gave way to a scowl. "About what?" Okay yeah, I knew what but that was the last thing I wanted to get into at the moment. I just wanted to keep feeling the way I was feeling which was alive and powerful. More than anything I wanted to chase that feeling of freedom, to savor the night air and the delights to be had by moonlight.

"Well…"

I waved away the lecture I knew was coming about responsibilities and consequences, reminded that for all his appearance of being seventeen Stefan had the soul of an old man. "Stefan I know we need to deal with this but, can't you just let me enjoy this for like five minutes?" I gave him my most winsome smile, the one that usually got me the window seat, or free drinks at the Grill.

His face broke into a smile then. "Sure. Let's run together." He reached his hand out for me to take it.

"You'll have to catch me first." I grinned, putting on a burst of speed.

*** back from commercial ***

Super speed and agility aside, trees should not be taken lightly.

I found this out the hard way after I zigged when I should have zagged, garnering me a close encounter with a red oak that was more solid than it looked. Though in retrospect, given the fact that my skin healed much more quickly than the bark I knocked off, I'd have to say that I gave as good as I got, might even have emerged as the victor in the skirmish.

Stefan was instantly crouched at my side, a solicitous hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Just my pride." I stood up with a disgruntled look, wiping the dirt and leaves off of my backside. Already the angry abrasion on my arm had faded to a faintly red blush, the pain fading just as fast.

"Maybe this would be a good time for a break and to have that talk?" He straightened slowly and I was struck by his innate sense of grace when something else caught my attention, the faintest rustle of leaves in the distance.

"What was that…?" I interrupted him again.

"What? I don't hear…"

"No shhh…" My head tilted to one side, my eyes slanting nearly all the way shut as I tried to pinpoint the location of the noise.

Stefan's expression grew remote and then a smile crossed his lips, transforming his entire face from broody stick in the mud to the sexy vampire I had grown to love. "It's a deer, a big one from the sound of it."

I matched his smile, concentrating on the sound of the animal moving through the underbrush, drawing closer. It was amazing how much detail I could get from that one sense alone and then I caught its scent and my mouth started to water. "It's like I can feel it…" I murmured, my whole focus shifting to tracking the animal, blocking out the other night sounds of the forest.

"Would you care to join me in the hunt?" His hand outstretched again and this time I took it.

"Now you're talkin'." I grinned, gripping his hand tightly. My first instinct was to charge after the animal but Stefan held fast to my hand, holding me back. After the burst of impatience, I began to grasp that he was intent on showing me how to move through the underbrush without making a sound. Once I understood the trick to it, it came much easier, and we stalked the animal together.

To my growing frustration, I found that I couldn't understand any of the hand signals he was trying to give me and he was forced to whisper at my ear in a voice only I could hear. A shiver went down my spine as his perfect lips grazed against the delicate whorls of my ear and it had nothing to do with the cold. If I was being honest, I can admit that for a moment I completely forgot about the deer while he went on about flanking positions, focusing only on his proximity until he drew away again. Only then did the hunger return with a vengeance.

As near as I could understand it, he wanted us to split up and keep the deer between us. Beyond that, the tactics were a little blurry to me. With a silent nod, Stefan disappeared into the night and no matter how hard I strained, I heard no trace of his movements. After a moment I stopped trying, focusing instead on the animal. My efforts weren't all that shabby either and I was proud to say that I had no trouble drawing nearer to the deer without him giving any sign that he was aware of my presence.

Suddenly I didn't want to stalk, I wanted to chase. At the last moment, I deliberately crunched through the thicket, sending the deer darting off into the night. With a gleeful laugh I gave chase, my hair flying behind me as I ran down my prey. It was all too easy to keep pace with the deer, its sudden shifts in direction the only thing making the chase interesting. With a sudden lunge, I leapt into the air, triumph surging through my veins as I brought the animal down, my fangs descending at the same moment to sink into its neck. I became aware of Stefan drinking from the opposite the deer, his hand covering mine as I gripped its powerful body, keeping it still. For one perfect moment everything was right with the world.

But the surge of triumph faded almost immediately, replaced by the distinct feeling that something was lacking. I pulled away, drawing the back of my hand across my mouth as I watched him continue to feed. Finally he looked up, seeming to notice that I was no longer at his side. The deer slumped to the ground, its breathing labored.

"It won't live, will it?" I asked softly, watching the deer thoughtfully.

"No, not after both of us fed from it." Stefan answered readily, his voice grave.

"You should kill it." I said sadly. "No reason for it to suffer like that." I couldn't stand to watch it, knowing that I had been the cause of its pain, but neither was I able to look away.

It was easily done, and I watched with sick fascination as Stefan snapped its neck like a twig. A big meaty twig with antlers. Was it weird that I hadn't been grossed out by drinking its blood but now I was a little grossed out by the carcass?

"What a waste. I feel like we should… bury it or feed it to the homeless or something." I sighed.

Stefan chuckled at that. "It's usually best if we just leave it out in the woods and other animals will feed from it."

_Other_ animals. Animals like us, only scavengers, not predators like us.

"Do other animals taste the same? Or do you get cravings for say squirrel or rabbit?" I was only teasing a little bit, the rest of me really wanted to know. For a split second I wondered if he would get annoyed the way that Damon had been when I'd plied him with a hundred and one questions, but to my relief he seemed to have no problems giving me a straightforward answer.

"They all have their different flavor, I prefer deer. They're plentiful, not too hard to bring down and they rarely bite back."

It didn't seem very sporting to hunt something that couldn't bite back… wait… what was I thinking? I had enjoyed the hunt, the chase, it was only after I'd tasted my prey that I found dissatisfaction. "It seemed a little…"

"Lacking?" Stefan gave an understanding smile.

"Totally. Maybe I'm just more of a bunny girl." I shrugged, wiping delicately at my chin.

Stefan drew me close and out of habit I went into his arms, laying my head against his chest. "It'll get better, I promise."

"How do you know?" He'd probably been eating animals for so long he didn't even remember what it tasted like to drink anything else. I'd just tasted human blood for the first time the night before and I couldn't imagine anything else being more potent. Ah how young and naïve I was….

"Because, the transition to animal blood gets easier over time. After a while you won't even miss it." He pressed a kiss into my hair.

Human blood. He didn't say it but I knew exactly what he meant. I gave him a hesitant smile. If that's the way it had to be, that's the way it had to be.

Though my thoughts did briefly stray to Damon's words the night before. It didn't have to be all one way or the other. Was it possible to live on a diet of animal blood and some human blood? Or would the temptation be too great? I realized that while I was mulling over these gory options Stefan was just enjoying the pleasure of holding me. With a guilty smile I drew back, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. Though I was no longer quite so angry with him, I wasn't ready to jump right back in to where we were a few days ago. "We should get back don't you think?" I said to cover my withdrawal.

The walk back was a quite a bit slower, my mood much more somber than when I'd left the house in a burst of speed. Stefan seemed hesitant to bring up "the talk" now and I left him that way, not exactly eager to get into it myself. But as we reached the house, I knew there were some things I couldn't put off any longer.

"I should really go home and talk to Jenna. I have no idea what I'm going to tell her… but I have to tell her something."

He looked distressed at the idea. "The fewer people that know about us the better."

"I know that, don't you think I know that?" I snapped at him, instantly hating myself for the kicked puppy dog expression that showed up on his face. With an effort I softened my tone of voice. "I can't just keep disappearing all day and all night, she'll flip out. And I can't keep sleeping in your basement; I need to come up with something a little more permanent. Unless you're willing to cough up your ring." I joked.

Stefan looked down at the ring on his finger and I could see he was seriously considering it.

"Hey, I was just kidding. I can't take your ring." The words spilled out of my mouth, hardly believing that he could really be thinking about it.

"It wouldn't have to be permanent." He twisted the ring on his finger. "Just until we figure out what to do."

"Stefan… I…"

Stefan pulled the ring from his finger and slipped it onto mine, onto_ that_ finger. "Just take it. I'll sleep better knowing you're safe."

"It's too big, it'll fall off." I pulled it off again, holding it out to him.

Taking a step backwards, his face made it clear that he wouldn't be accepting it back. "Elena…" He sighed, in a tone that brooked no argument.

I looked down at the ring, not feeling entirely good about establishing my safety at the expense of his. "Just until I figure out how to deal with this." I promised, slipping the ring onto my thumb where it sat more snugly. "Where did you get this one anyway?"

His face clouded and he looked away. "From Katherine."

"Oh." I wasn't quite sure what to say to that. From what I understood she was dead, really dead, though I didn't know the circumstances. "Guess there's not much chance in getting another one then, is there?"

"There might be a way."

My head came up in surprise. "What, the internet?"

The corner of his mouth twitched into an almost smile. "Not exactly. Look I've got to go check some things out. Promise me you'll keep that on, okay? I might be gone for a couple of days."

"Where are you going?"

"Just promise me." He insisted, his eyes intent.

"I promise."

Stefan leaned towards me as if he might kiss me and I hovered there, not sure if I wanted him to or not. I had just decided that maybe I did when he pulled away, giving me a tight smile. "Stay safe Elena." And then he was gone.

*** back from commercial ***

I stood just outside of the boarding house, it being just barely after sundown. What was I supposed to do, go home? With the ring I could handle being out in public but there was no way I would be able to go to school with how drained I was during the day. Maybe if I pleaded a case of mono… So intent was I on this train of thought that I didn't hear Damon's approach until he spoke practically at my ear and I jumped in spite of myself.

"Baby brother leave you all alone?"

"Can't put anything past you." I muttered, turning on my heel, I walked past him into the house as if I had every right to be there.

"No big plans for the night then?" Damon followed me into the house. "Or was that it already? A quick hunt for trail mix and then back to beddy-bye?"

"Don't you have something else to do yourself?" I stopped and turned to face him, a little disconcerted by how close he was to me. "Don't you have some unsuspecting virgins to torture or something?"

"Why, do you know any?" His grin was wolfish.

A disgusted snort left my lips and I moved to turn away again but he caught my hand, keeping me easily in place. "Wanna go have some fun?" His eyes flashed with mischief.

"With you? No thanks, I'll pass."

"Don't be so hasty, you don't even know what kind of fun I'm offering."

"I have a picture in my head, it's very vivid. No thank you."

Damon chuckled at that. "While _that _might be fun sometime too, I was thinking about something a little more instructional."

I knew I was being suckered in, but even so I couldn't help but fall for it. "Oh? What did you have in mind then?"

"A trip into the city? Stretch your legs a bit, maybe show you how the other half lives. No animals in sight, I promise."

I was sorely tempted, I freely admit, but something kept me from agreeing on the spot. For one thing I had a feeling that Damon wouldn't have any compunction about killing someone for sport just to show me a thing or two and I had a big problem with that. On the other hand, I really did want to learn more about what I could do and Stefan was gone for who knew how long.

"Promise me we won't kill anybody." My chin came up with determination.

"I can only promise for myself." Damon chuckled.

"No…" The torment came back to me of what I'd done to Jenna in that moment. If he hadn't shown up when he had… "You have to promise me that if I get… out of control, you'll stop me before I do anything too bad."

Damon stared back at me for a long moment before giving a slow nod. "Alright, if that's how you want it."

"I do. That's the only way I'll agree to go."

"Fine. But you can't go out looking like that. Go put something sexy on." He spun me by the shoulders and gave me a light shove towards the stairs.

"I didn't exactly pack to go clubbing." I pointed out, even as I moved up the stairs dutifully.

"Well put on a pair of jeans at least, something that'll show off your ass."

"Why do I need to show off my ass exactly?" I gave him a look over my shoulder.

"Because I like the way your ass looks in tight jeans." He smirked.

It was going to be a long night.

**A/N: Okay I know there was a lot of Stefan in there and this is a Delena fic at heart but we'll get there, I promise. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

"_A trip into the city? Stretch your legs a bit, maybe show you how the other half lives. No animals in sight, I promise."_

_I was sorely tempted, I freely admit, but something kept me from agreeing on the spot. For one thing I had a feeling that Damon wouldn't have any compunction about killing someone for sport just to show me a thing or two and I had a big problem with that. On the other hand, I really did want to learn more about what I could do and Stefan was gone for who knew how long. _

"_Promise me we won't kill anybody." My chin came up with determination._

"_I can only promise for myself." Damon chuckled._

"_No…" The torment came back to me of what I'd done to Jenna in that moment. If he hadn't shown up when he had… "You have to promise me that if I get… out of control, you'll stop me before I do anything too bad."_

_Damon stared back at me for a long moment before giving a slow nod. "Alright, if that's how you want it."_

"_I do. That's the only way I'll agree to go."_

"_Fine. But you can't go out looking like that. Go put something sexy on." He spun me by the shoulders and gave me a light shove towards the stairs._

"_I didn't exactly pack to go clubbing." I pointed out, even as I moved up the stairs dutifully._

"_Well put on a pair of jeans at least, something that'll show off your ass."_

"_Why do I need to show off my ass exactly?" I gave him a look over my shoulder._

"_Because I like the way your ass looks in tight jeans." He smirked._

_It was going to be a long night._

* * *

In the end I had chosen a pair of jeans to wear after all, but only because my choices were limited; as I'd said, I hadn't exactly packed to impress anyone. I took a sort of perverse pleasure in keeping Damon waiting as long as possible as I dressed and applied my makeup. Brushing my hair until it hung shining down my back and then painstakingly pinning it up in a style that complemented the slender column of my throat.

We were going out on the prowl weren't we? So I left the blouse buttoned deliberately low transforming it from something sweet into something sexy. Maybe it was just the allure of my new condition, but I had to admit… the effect wasn't bad, not bad at all. The only thing that seemed a little off was that I'd paled, but not too badly, probably because I'd fed on venison not that long ago. Belatedly I thanked the vampire gods that we did have a reflection after all. An eternity of staring into blank mirrors would just be downright creepy not to mention inconvenient. How else would I put on eyeliner?

My lips quirked into a smile at the expression on Damon's face when I came down the stairs. He'd been lying on the couch, his head flung back over the armrest, staring up at the ceiling with apparent boredom. I felt it the moment he noticed me there, his eyes riveted to me even as he turned over and sat up.

"Is this good enough for you?" I turned around quickly, my hands up in the air. I would have been a walking invitation to a vampire were I human with all that skin around my neck showing, and I was glad I was no longer his prey. He didn't immediately reply and my brows narrowed as I waited to see what unpleasant thing would come out of his mouth next.

Damon seemed to recover from whatever had come over him, moving past me with a brisk nod. "It'll do." He said simply, pulling open the front door. But another change seemed to come over him as I walked toward him and his face softened into a smile. "After you."

You could have knocked me over with a feather as he sketched a short bow. Polite Damon I was not prepared for. "Yeah…" I murmured, moving past him. As we left the boarding house, I couldn't help but wonder if his eyes were on my behind, but I was too stubborn to look back and check.

He led me to his car and I gave him a questioning look. "Why do you want to take the car if you can run faster?" I asked, even as I slid into the passenger's seat.

"Because it's about getting there in style Elena. Plus… I don't want to mess up my hair." He smirked, taking his place behind the driver's wheel.

"So where are we going." I asked once we were on the road and I could see the pinched look return to his face already.

"Are you gonna ask me questions for the whole ride?" He muttered.

Geez it was only my first one! If that was how it was going to go I would seriously consider jumping out of the car and walking back. "Only if you keep me in the dark. This is supposed to be instructional right? So instruct." I retorted.

His hands clenched the steering wheel tightly and I could see the bone pressing up against the flesh of his knuckles making them whiter still. "I already said, we're going into the City. More people, easier to keep a low profile. There's a little bar I have in mind, I think it'll be perfect for you."

"What kind of a bar?"

"The kind that serves drinks." Damon fixed me with a look and I realized that was all I was gonna get.

For a few minutes I allowed him the silence before I made an observation. "You can dish it out but you can't take it, can you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You like to be the one to get in the last word but you don't like it when people question you at all do you?" I explained.

His voice was cold as he replied. "I don't like being bugged and no offense Elena but your voice gets to be like the buzzing of insects after a while."

Hurt, that shut me up for a while and I began to regret agreeing to go on this field trip. In my head I came up with and discarded half a dozen comebacks before I decided he wasn't worth the effort.

Damon seemed to notice my reticence after a while and tried to draw me out with a question or two, but I stubbornly gave him little more than single syllable responses. Maybe it was petty, but that was my mood given the turn of events. He didn't press me for more beyond that and seemed content with the silence.

I perked up a little as we got closer to town, watching the buildings with interest as I tried to figure out where we were headed. Damon pulled into the parking lot for a bar with "Eden" emblazoned across the front in neon.

"Eden?" My brows came up.

"Yeah, for a garden of delights." He grinned, alighting from the car.

I had to admit I was a little worried about being carded, but nobody gave us a second glance as we took seats at the end of the bar. Damon's eyes were scanning the place and I followed his lead, seeing what there was to offer. It was early still for a bar and there were only a dozen or so patrons sprinkled throughout the room.

"Let's start slow, order a drink." Damon began, catching the bartender's eye.

"But I don't want a drink." I protested, figuring it'd be best if I stayed sharp and focused.

"Yes you do, it'll help relax you. Besides, you need to practice compulsion before you need it in a hurry or there's blood involved."

I could see the wisdom in that, but had no clue how to go about doing it. Before I could open my mouth to ask, Damon seemed to clue into my distress and leaned closer to me, his voice low and reassuring at my ear.

"Just focus on what you want. Catch his eyes and project what you want, it's as simple as that. Don't overthink it."

"Right." Was all I had time for before the bartender came to stand before us, his expression skeptical at seeing just how young I was. "Hi." I smiled brightly, leaning forward a little, my eyes on his. "Just bring us a couple of beers."

"I'll have to see your ID miss." He asked politely.

What was I doing wrong? Maybe I wasn't focusing on the right thing? I really didn't want a beer to be honest. Deciding to change tacks, I tried something else. Leaving aside the question of drinks, I focused on getting him to look at me. "You don't need to see my ID, I'm alright to be here." This time I could feel my will catch a hold of him.

"You're alright to be here." He repeated, his face blank.

"You'll give me whatever I want." A smile curved my lips at that.

"I'll give you whatever you want." An answering smile lit the bartender's face and he leaned a little closer, perhaps keying into my pleasure at having successfully tried this. "What do you want?"

"Look out, Elena's on the prowl." Damon chuckled from beside me.

"We'll have a couple of beers." I smiled sweetly.

"Make that a scotch for me." Damon interjected.

"Comin right up." The bartender grinned, happy to be of use I expect. He quickly filled our drink orders and then hovered like a puppy, eager to do something else for me.

"Thanks." I dismissed him with a wave and he moved farther down the bar, but continued to look over at me every now and again in case I might want something else.

"Be careful, he's gonna end up following you home if you keep him on the hook like that." Damon smirked, taking a sip of his drink.

"What do you mean, on the hook?"

"Just be careful what you ask for when you're compelling them, they will absolutely _have_ to obey you, or what they think you want whether you said it out loud or not. Just something to think about"

"I didn't think of it like that." I blinked, darting another look at the bartender who gave me a hopeful smile until I looked away. "But I did pretty good, right?" I looked to him for praise.

"Don't get cocky kid, it's easier to bum a drink than it is to erase someone's memory of having been brutally attacked.

"Well since I don't plan on brutally attacking anyone, I guess I won't have to worry about that." I said loftily. Damon chuckled and I got the distinct impression that he thought he knew better than that. "So… what is it that you wanted to teach me? Besides how to bum drinks?"

"Oh yeah, I was going to give you the benefit of my lifetime of knowledge wasn't I? Let's see… where to begin?" Damon's eyes swept over the room. "Picking a victim is serious stuff unless you're desperate for any kind of blood."

"Oh… so you mean you take into account if someone will notice if they slip away and come back with a bite on the neck? Or if they look sick or something?" I took the opportunity to look at the bar denizens, as if I was picking over items in a buffet.

Damon's mind took a turn in a different direction. "No fatties, they taste all greasy." He made a face. "Smokers, not my personal faves, although I used to enjoy a little pipe tobacco in the day."

"It really makes that much of a difference?" I blinked.

"Oh yeah, you are what you eat."

"So what does that make us if we eat people?"

"Superior to every other living thing?" Damon replied glibly and I had to laugh at his absolute conviction.

"Okay, so who would you pick?" I asked, though it was obvious by watching Damon that he'd already made his selection. His attention seemed to be wholly focused on a woman sitting in a booth by herself. She was pretty, if a little older, and she was nursing a white wine.

"Watch and learn." Damon grinned, sliding off the barstool before pausing to lean in close to my ear. "After I leave with her, give us a couple of minutes and then come to join us in the alleyway to the side of the bar." Without waiting for a response, he moved on and I had to admire his natural grace as he slid into the seat opposite her, his charming smile smoothing over any objections she might have had. But then again… who would object to Damon joining them in a bar? At least until he opened his mouth.

I watched them together, easily able to hear the thread of their conversation, the woman's laughter trilling back to me. Oh yeah… she was a goner. In just a few minutes he rose and stretched out his hand, not even having to compel her to get her to leave the bar with him. Waiting on my stool, I reached over and downed the rest of his scotch to steady my nerves before following them outside, slipping around the corner of the building.

My eyes adjusted instantly to the dim lighting in the alley, the soft murmur of conversation reaching me as I drew nearer. I spotted them on the other side of the dumpster, Damon had her pressed up against the wall, nibbling against her neck playfully. For a long moment I watched them, feeling like I was intruding until Damon's eyes fixed on mine. Holding my gaze he ran his tongue along the side of her neck. "Join us." He smiled invitingly, "You don't mind do you Sugar?"

"I don't mind." The blonde smiled back dutifully, her eyes on Damon.

I approached them slowly, still a little uncomfortable with it all.

"Elena this is Cammie, say hello Cammie."

"Hello." She smiled obligingly.

"Hello." I replied softly, wondering if Damon intended to drink from her right there in the alley way? Somehow I had thought we would go somewhere more private.

"Cammie is very healthy aren't you?" Damon grinned, his fingers tracing along her jaw and down the side of her neck to follow the deep scoop of her neckline.

"Yes I am." She said proudly.

"Good girl." Damon gave her a light kiss before turning back to me. "Kiss her." He grinned.

Cammie turned to face me readily but I drew back in distaste. "I'm not going to kiss her, this is not girls gone wild or your little threesome fantasy." I scoffed.

"I hadn't thought of that but now that you mention it…"

"Whatever you did with Katherine before, this is not my deal."

"Okay, okay, calm down. Bite her then."

The girl tilted her head away obligingly.

I watched them with dismay, not sure why I found the idea so distasteful. "I don't… I'm not sure I can…"

"God Elena, who knew you were such a prude…" Damon rolled his eyes dramatically.

"I am not a prude! Somehow I think this is a little outside the realm of normal experience, okay?"

"I don't think she's a prude." Cammie interjected.

"Who asked you?" Damon muttered in irritation.

"Nobody." Cammie admitted cheerfully.

Damon closed his eyes for a minute and I could see that look of almost pain coming over his features again when things weren't exactly going down how he'd pictured it.

"Look forget it, I'll go find a guy on my own…" I turned away to leave.

"Absolutely not." His voice was a low and dangerous growl, surprising me as he caught my arm hard enough to hurt which was saying a lot now.

"Wow, someone's jealous." Cammie giggled.

Damon spared her a scowl before he tugged at my arm. "Just… come here and we'll try something else."

"Reluctantly I took a step back towards him, then another, not sure what he had in mind.

"I think you just need to get into the right mood is all."

"Maybe…" I allowed, watching him intently.

"I'll get you started. Close your eyes baby." He purred to the girl who obeyed immediately, and I could hear her heart hammering in anticipation. The voice he used had my immediate attention, and I could just imagine the effect it was having on her.

Damon leaned in and pressed a kiss to her neck, his tongue laving over the throb of her pulse. My teeth scraped over my lower lip as I watched them together, caught up in an excitement I didn't quite understand. His head obscured my view then but I felt it the moment his teeth pierced her skin, her little cry of pain, (or was it pleasure?) tangible proof. The sharp tang of fresh blood perfumed the air, and I felt my own fangs descend as I licked my lips, taking a half step closer to them.

Damon turned to me then, a knowing smirk on his face as he leaned down to brush his lips against mine. Instead of recoiling from the move as I might normally have done, the impulse to lean in and taste the blood against his lips was near overpowering, and my lips parted seemingly of their own volition.

Pressing his advantage, Damon's tongue swept out to meet mine and I moaned softly at the feel of that intimate gesture, coupled with the taste of the girl's blood. The moment stretched on until, I'm ashamed to say, he was the one to break away first, that smirk pushing through the haze of lust that had swept through me.

"Now… taste her." Damon stepped back, and I could see the blood welling at the wound at her throat, a crimson trail spilling onto the swell of cleavage visible.

Losing all hesitation now, my instincts kicked in and I practically lunged for the poor girl's throat; the bright blood instantly filling me with a thirst that seemed to have no end. I became aware that Damon was feeding beside me, our bodies lightly touching as we both pulled at her neck. Cammie didn't seem to mind, in fact she seemed to be having a helluva time and I wondered what else he might be doing to her but was too focused on the blood to find out.

All too soon I felt Damon pulling at my shoulders, urging me away from my feast. Stubbornly I resisted, her heart was still beating a mile a minute and there was more blood to be had.

"Elena…" His voice was low but firm at my ear as he wrenched me away. Frustrated, I fought him so that he had to catch my wrists and hold them tight, pinning me to the wall even as he'd pinned our victim just moments before. "Calm down… take a breath. It'll pass in a minute." He soothed.

Take a breath? That was his advice? In that instant I couldn't imagine anything replacing the driving need with which my body clamored for the human blood a scant few feet away, but gradually my head began to clear and I saw that he was right. I stopped fighting him, and sagged back against the building. "Is she… okay?" I asked, turning my head to see Cammie propped up against the wall just as I was, only in more of a stupor.

"She'll be fine." Damon replied, but as I turned back I found his attention focused on me rather than the girl.

I became intimately aware of just how closely our bodies were pressed together, and from the feel of him hard against my hip he was aware of it too. Or was that just left over from the feeding? Swallowing nervously, I dropped my gaze. "You can let go of me now." I said, relieved to find my voice was stronger than my nerves at that point.

"Easy for you to say." He muttered just within range of my hearing and then he was across the alley, helping walk Cammie to a cab, chatting conversationally with her.

*** Back from commercial ***

On the drive home, I had to admit, I felt much more satisfied than after my hunt with Stefan. Cammie hadn't seemed too worse for wear, and I had the feeling she wouldn't mind seeing Damon again. I knew I wasn't strong enough to try anything like that on my own just yet, it had been far too hard to stop feeding without Damon to pull me off of her, but maybe… maybe I could learn control. It was worth pursuing at least, as long as Damon seemed inclined to help me.

There was only one thing that bothered me about the night.

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked softly, pulling my gaze from the darkened night outside the car window.

"What?"

"Before we fed on that girl… you could have just led me to the blood, I would have easily gone at that point. Why did you kiss me?" Suddenly I had to know. Was he thinking of Katherine? Or was it to get back at Stefan? Or did it actually have something to do with me?

"Because I wanted to." He answered simply, his eyes on the road.

"Why?"

"Because I could. Consider it a lesson if you must. There are very few things in life that you can't just take when you want now, Elena. The sooner you grasp that the happier you'll be. If you want something… take it."

"And that's the only reason? Because you could?" I found myself scowling.

"I didn't say that." Damon smirked, but that was all I got out of him for the rest of the ride home.

**A/N: Little bit of a nod there to The Gates at the feeding section. Anyone else out there watch that show? I'm really enjoying it so far.**

**More fun to come as Elena stays with Damon while Stefan is away…**

**Feedback is Love People**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**So just as an FYI, though I do intend to write the book I had in mind from the 1****st**** person POV thanks to the experiment of this fic, it will not be the next one I'm starting in September. I think I will continue to work out the kinks in this fic and see what challenges come from it before I dive into the novel just yet. Instead, in September I'll be writing a different good ol 3****rd**** person past POV story about a woman who is saved by a fallen angel, who imbues her with some of his powers. So as a heads up, updates will be slower for the month of September as I try to maintain my daily writing quota. **

**But in the meantime… let the fanfics continue!**

_There was only one thing that bothered me about the night. _

"_Why did you kiss me?" I asked softly, pulling my gaze from the darkened night outside the car window._

"_What?"_

"_Before we fed on that girl… you could have just led me to the blood, I would have easily gone at that point. Why did you kiss me?" Suddenly I had to know. Was he thinking of Katherine? Or was it to get back at Stefan? Or did it actually have something to do with me?_

"_Because I wanted to." He answered simply, his eyes on the road._

"_Why?"_

"_Because I could. Consider it a lesson if you must. There are very few things in life that you can't just take when you want now, Elena. The sooner you grasp that the happier you'll be. If you want something… take it."_

"_And that's the only reason? Because you could?" I found myself scowling._

"_I didn't say that." Damon smirked, but that was all I got out of him for the rest of the ride home._

* * *

It was late, but still a few hours before dawn by the time we got back to the boarding house. Still not used to my new hours, I dozed a bit during the ride, but came awake the moment I felt us turn off the road onto their driveway.

"Home sweet home." Damon called out cheerfully and I gave him a sidelong glance, wondering what the reason was for his good mood. In my limited experience, a happy Damon was never a good thing. "I wonder if Stefan is back yet?" He commented, pulling up in front of the house.

I gave a casual shrug. "He said he might be gone for a day or two."

"Oh really…" Damon's smile grew wider and I realized he was looking at me with a predatory gleam to his eyes.

"Maybe I'd better go home…" My eyes narrowed suspiciously. I suppose I hadn't given much thought to the idea of staying in the house alone with Damon, but given that look, maybe it was time to rethink the idea.

"Don't be stupid." Damon waved away my concern. "It's safer here for the rest of your family, unless you don't mind eating a relative or two. Besides, I can resist your feminine charms Miss Elena, of that you can rest assured." He said loftily, affecting a much more pronounced southern drawl. Before I could respond he left me sitting in the car while he went up and into the house.

I swear I will never understand that man until the day I die.

His temperament could change on a dime, and he didn't seem to give a damn that half the things out of his mouth were rude or insulting, but then he'd give you that little smile…

Shaking myself out of that train of thought, I left the car and trudged up to the house, deciding that I could handle a few jibes and smirks in order to keep Jenna and Jeremy safe. Even having fed that night I wasn't sure what it would do to me to see fresh blood. It was for the best that I stayed at the boarding house at least until I knew I had some measure of control.

_Yep. _

_It had nothing at all to do with that kiss… _

That's what I kept telling myself.

*** back from commercial ***

There was no sign of Damon when I ventured into the house, and I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or concerned at that. Already getting used to my enhanced senses, I moved up the stairs without turning on any lights, heading straight for Stefan's room. With his ring I wouldn't have to sleep down in the dungeon anymore, and I could enjoy a hot shower and his comfy bed.

The hot shower felt… amazing. I don't know if it was because of my new heightened senses, the contrast against my cooler body temperature in general, the fact that I'd recently fed, or secret option number four, but I lingered until the hot water ran out completely. I came out feeling relaxed and good. Padding naked into Stefan's bedroom I pulled one of his button up shirts out of the wardrobe and slipped it on, my nose turning against the soft cotton to breathe in his scent.

I missed him.

As much as I had been through in the past couple of days, the lies and deceit, dying and turning… none of that seemed to change the fact that I missed having him around. Having his arms around me to comfort me and tell me that everything was going to be okay. Having him show up and help me just when I needed him the most. When had Damon started to take on that role?

With a frown I sat on the end of the bed and finger combed my long damp locks as I pondered that new development. Ever since I had turned, Damon had been lurking around every corner, or so it felt like. Was it always that way and I was just noticing it now? Or had something changed between us?

The kiss in the alleyway came to mind then, the feel of his lips pressed to mine, the taste of the blood binding us together… How much of that had been the blood and how much of that had been him? As much as I hated to admit it, I'd enjoyed that kiss. Reveled in it even, in a way that I'd never felt before; not with Stefan, not with anyone.

Sure I could acknowledge that Damon was sex on a stick, as Caroline liked to put it. Even when he was being a beast you couldn't deny he was a sexy beast. But I'd never really been drawn to him before, not the way that I'd felt in the alley. Was that because he was my… what was the word… sire? That was probably it!

Relieved in that realization, it served to absolve me of some of the guilt I was feeling for having enjoyed that kiss. It was a combination of the blood shared and our blood connection, nothing more. Soon Stefan would come home and Damon would fade into the background and we would go on with our lives. I didn't need him to survive; I could figure it out on my own with Stefan's help.

_Yep_.

And then the music started.

Low at first, with my vampire hearing I could pick out all the lyrics with no trouble even though as a human I might have only clearly heard the bass. I supposed I couldn't fault Damon for listening to music in his own home. Turning down the covers to Stefan's bed, I slipped between the cool sheets, preparing to make the best of it and get to bed early. Maybe then I'd be able to rise early as well and watch the sun go down, courtesy of Stefan's magic ring?

The music level turned up several decibels then, the words blaring through the house behind the throbbing music.

_All I ever wanted_

_All I ever needed_

_Is here… in my arms_

There was no earthly reason why he had to turn the music up that loud, not with his vampire hearing. Throwing the covers back in annoyance, I stomped out of the room and down the stairs, working myself up to the argument that was sure to follow. That I liked the song was entirely beside the point.

"Are you kidding me?" I called out over the music, hands on my hips as I got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, Risky Business." Damon raised his glass to me in my man's shirt and little else. "I'm game." Tossing back the rest of his drink, he kicked off his shoes and started to peel off his jeans.

My cheeks flaming, I did an about face, not wanting to see what it was he had under there. For all I knew he was the type to go commando and wasn't at all shy about letting me know about it.

"What's the matter?" His voice called out to me above the throbbing music. I could hear him pouring himself another drink and figured the impromptu striptease was over.

"Don't you think this is a little loud?"

"It sounds better louder, don't you think?" Damon grinned, and I could hear him approaching me. The next thing I knew he was standing in front of me wearing his black dress shirt, opened scandalously low to reveal the taut planes of his chest and abdomen, and thankfully, black boxer briefs; a drink in each hand, he offered one to me.

My eyes dipped to check out his body of their own volition and I could see him smirk in response out of the corner of my eye. A little discombobulated, I accepted the cut crystal glass and lifted it to my lips, drinking greedily.

"Come on, let's dance." Damon took the glass back and set it down with his on a side table, his steps moving in time to the music.

"It's getting a little late…" I started to protest.

"Come on Elena, live a little!" He danced around me as I watched, "Enjoy your life for once! Leave all that bullshit behind and just let yourself go. It won't kill you to have a good time." Behind me, his hands went to my hips, swiveling them along with his own body. "It's just a dance." His lips nearly brushed my ear and I found myself dancing with him, unsure if it was him or me making my body move that way to begin with.

After a moment, the rhythm took hold of me and I broke away from his grasp, turning with a smile as I danced away.

_Words are very unnecessary  
They can only do harm_

I hadn't been dancing, really dancing in a while. School dances didn't count, there was either dancing in a circle of girls for the fast songs or swaying back and forth with a guy who usually just wanted to feel you up. Not the same as letting go and letting the music move you as it would.

Damon was a great dancer, incredibly agile, he knew how to move his body, I gave him that from the start. I found myself responding, dancing back _to_ him, our bodies growing closer as the song faded and another took its place. His smile grew wider as I threw myself into this one with abandon.

_Well I'm not paralyzed but I seem to be struck by you  
I wanna make you move because you're standin' still  
If your body matches what your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through me on my way to you_

Song after song we danced with abandon, and I reveled at the energy I had, never growing out of breath or fatiguing. The next song was a slow one, and without protest I went into his arms when he pulled me close. Perhaps it was a holdover from his past but slow dancing was more than just swaying with Damon. Expertly he moved me around the room, and my body responded with new found grace as he swung me out and brought me back, holding me closer than was strictly necessary I suspected. The only thing that kept it from getting too serious was the look on his face as he sang along with the lyrics, clearly finding some amusement in the tender words.

_I long to see the sunlight in your hair  
And tell you time and time again how much I care  
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow  
Hello, I've just got to let you know_

I giggled at the way he waggled his eyebrows at me. But then his face changed, and he was singing to me, his eyes moving over me as though caressing my face.

_Tell me how to win your heart  
For I haven't got a clue  
But let me start by saying…_

I noticed that we had stopped dancing, and were standing there in each other's arms, my eyes held transfixed by his azure gaze.

_It's just a dance…_

"I need to cool off." Not strictly true, my vampire body temperature was just as temperate as before, but I craved a cool drink like a stranded man in the desert; and pulled away to chase down my abandoned drink.

The alcohol both cooled and burned on the way down and I liked how it made me feel, soft and floaty; unable to think too clearly which suited my mood just fine.

"You know… you do more for that shirt than Stefan ever did." Damon smirked, refilling his own glass.

I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't care, maybe I even wanted him to look a little. "Do you check Stefan out in his shirts very often?" I raised a single brow at him over the rim of my glass.

Damon made a face, a gagging noise escaping his lips in response. "Do you mind? I'd like to keep my dinner down. I don't spend my time checking him out in any way."

"I would hope not, it'd be a little weird if you looked at your brother that way." I smiled, feeling much more at ease now. "Although…"

"Although what?" His brows drew together in suspicion.

"No I probably shouldn't ask." I shook my head, knowing that would only make him all the more curious.

It worked, and Damon set down his drink, giving me his full attention. "No go ahead, shoot." He crossed his arms.

"When you were with Katherine… was that at the same time that she was with Stefan?"

I saw his eyes darken then and I wasn't sure if he would answer me. "Yes." He finally said shortly.

"So if you were both with her… were you ever… both with her? I mean at the same time?" I asked, wondering if vampires could blush, my face certainly felt hotter. I saw his eyes widen at the question and something indefinable move across his face.

But then his smirk returned. "Why, is that something you've fantasized about?"

"What? No!" I gasped, scandalized at the question.

"So you'd rather have us one at a time?" He pressed, moving closer to me again.

A very unladylike snort of disgust left my lips as I set down my drink. "I'm not _having_ you in any way." I huffed, moving past him, but he was faster, moving to block my path.

"That's not what it felt like in the alley." His voice was low and sexy as sin, and I found my eyes dropping to his mouth, my tongue darting out to moisten my lips.

"Well I hope you enjoyed it, cause that was the last time that's happening." Carefully stepping around him, I started up the stairs. I'd rather find earplugs while he danced than spend the rest of the night dodging those smarmy looks. To my relief, he turned the music down, apparently satisfied with his quota of bothering me for one night. I returned to Stefan's room, determined to put him out of my mind and get some rest.

Only I couldn't sleep.

Maybe it was because the night wasn't over yet? Maybe it was the added energy from feeding twice? Maybe I was missing having Stefan by my side in his bed? It was most definitely _not_ because of his brother whom I could hear moving through the house…

Even after he settled down for a while and stopped stomping like an elephant up and down the stairs (okay so maybe that was just my over-sensitized hearing, not his actual stomping), I continued to lie there, looking up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come.

Finally I threw back the covers just after dawn, padding barefoot to the window where I tested out the efficiency of Stefan's ring. It protected me just as well, not even a tingle where the sun hit me. Thank goodness for small miracles.

I was beyond tired now, my body having stayed up too late, couldn't bring itself to shut down. Used to having insomnia, just not during these hours, I went downstairs to get a breath of fresh air, knowing that the small bout of activity might help more than just lying there looking at the clock.

As I stepped out onto the porch, I realized I wasn't alone almost in the same instant that Damon saw me, starting violently as he realized I had just stepped into the sunlight.

"How?" His brows shot skyward, but I was more interested in what he'd been doing. There was a sketchbook sitting across his lap, his arm covering the drawing so that I couldn't quite make it out.

Holding up Stefan's ring on my finger, I gave him a small smile.

"How did you get that?" He seemed to be having trouble with the idea.

"Stefan gave it to me." I refrained from adding the 'duh' that sprung to mind, not wanting to get into another argument. "Just temporarily until I figure out what to do."

"And then he went off to god knows where without the protection of the ring?" It was clear that he didn't approve of the notion.

"Pretty much yeah." I gave a half shrug. "I tried to tell him not to…"

"But Stefan the Savior wanted to be your own personal hero and wouldn't take no for an answer, right?"

"He was just protecting me." I found myself defending him.

"He was just trying to get back into your good graces." Damon felt the need to correct me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, nothing." Damon flipped the cover over on the sketchbook, obscuring it from view but not before I caught that he'd been drawing a figure of a girl with long hair.

"Are you drawing?"

"No I'm just messing around." His eyes fixed on the horizon; that was all he'd say about it.

Moving to take a seat beside him on the bench, I turned my attention to the rising sun, feeling my eyes growing heavy. "It's beautiful." I commented softly, wondering how many more of these I'd see before I had to give the ring back.

"Beautiful." Damon agreed, his voice sounding thick with something, but I was too tired to ask him about it. Instead my head lolled to rest against his shoulder.

At some point I must have fallen asleep, because that's the last thing I remember beyond the awareness of being carried up to bed. Under the spell of the morning sun, I slipped into dreams filled with the thrill of the hunt, the dark desire for blood and a kiss…

**A/N: This one was inspired by the episode where he's dancing around with Vicki (which never took place in this reality). Lord but that man is beautiful to watch dancing around…**

**Feedback is Love People**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Vampire Diaries is almost out on DVD, woot! Boy I hope they have some good extras…**

"_What are you doing?" I asked, trying to change the subject._

"_Oh, nothing." Damon flipped the cover over on the sketchbook, obscuring it from view but not before I caught that he'd been drawing a figure of a girl with long hair._

"_Are you drawing?"_

"_No I'm just messing around." His eyes fixed on the horizon; that was all he'd say about it. _

_Moving to take a seat beside him on the bench, I turned my attention to the rising sun, feeling my eyes growing heavy. "It's beautiful." I commented softly, wondering how many more of these I'd see before I had to give the ring back._

"_Beautiful." Damon agreed, his voice sounding thick with something, but I was too tired to ask him about it. Instead my head lolled to rest against his shoulder. _

_At some point I must have fallen asleep, because that's the last thing I remember beyond the awareness of being carried up to bed. Under the spell of the morning sun, I slipped into dreams filled with the thrill of the hunt, the dark desire for blood and a kiss…_

* * *

It was after sundown by the time I found myself stirring to wakefulness; so much for trying to get up earlier! Still, I felt well rested and comfortably snuggled in the bed, pleasantly drowsy as the remnants of my last dream teased the edges of my memory.

And then I noticed… I wasn't in Stefan's bed. In fact… I wasn't in Stefan's room at all.

Shoving the hair out of my eyes, I sat up, right smack dab in the middle of a huge four poster bed. The entire room was dominated by heavy mahogany and leather furniture, masculine, not a trace of floral fabric anywhere. With the old fashioned roll-topped desk and the wardrobe in lieu of a closet, the room could have been decorated a hundred years ago except for the big flat screened TV that dominated the wall opposite the bed.

Damon's room.

I'd never been in there before and could only guess at why I was in there now. With a trace of unease I wondered if I'd been alone in that bed all day long or if Damon had slipped in beside me while I was dead to the world? I was still wearing Stefan's dress shirt and panties, and there was nothing to indicate that anything… inappropriate had happened, but it was still a bit disconcerting to think about myself in such a vulnerable position.

Damon's old clothing tossed carelessly in the direction of a hamper seemed to indicate that he'd been in the room at some point to change clothes. With a sigh I picked them up and deposited them in the hamper out of habit without questioning why I was picking up after him. Instead I was too interested in checking out his room.

On either side of the roll top desk were built in bookshelves, filled to overflowing with books of every kind. I saw books on anatomy and law, as well as fiction ranging from the classics to the latest Stephen King novel. Damon apparently had eclectic tastes.

My eyes lit upon the yellow covered sketch book that I'd seen him with in the early hours of the morning. Damon's sketchbook. With a glance to the closed door, I sidled over to the pad, hesitantly lifting the cover almost as if I thought Damon would appear the moment I touched it. When he didn't magically appear I flipped through the pages slowly, appreciating his obvious skill. They were all pencil sketches, shaded to give them depth but no ink or color of any sort.

He appeared to prefer drawing figures rather than landscapes or still life. There were sketches of various people that I didn't recognize, quite a few of a woman who looked very much like me but for the styling of her hair and clothing and something about her eyes… I took them to be of Katherine. There was one of Stefan that was almost a caricature of his pensive, brooding expression that brought a smile to my face. One of Caroline that captured her delicate features perfectly, her mouth drawn into a pretty pout.

And then there were pages and pages of me. At first I thought they were more of Katherine, but when I recognized some of my own clothes I realized that he was in fact drawing me in a myriad of poses and expressions. The last drawing was the one I recognized from that morning. The sketch was rough and only half formed, but showed promise. He'd drawn me nude but with nothing showing, knees pulled up to my chest, feet crossed at the ankles, my long hair gathered to spill over one shoulder. My eyes were trained on a point in the distance, a forlorn expression on my face. It looked like I was waiting for something…

Was this how he saw me?

Replacing the cover on the sketchbook, I left it where I'd found it, planning on returning to Stefan's room to get dressed. On the chest at the end of the bed I spotted my duffel bag and frowned. How had it gotten there? A quick check showed my clothes were all still inside, but my makeup bag and toiletries were missing. On a hunch I stepped into Damon's adjoining bathroom and sure enough, my toothbrush was sitting next to his in the holder, my hairbrush and make up neatly lined up on the counter opposite his.

What the hell was this? One night with Stefan gone and he assumed what? We were shacking up now? Angrily I swept all of my things into my arms and shoved them into my bag, stomping into Stefan's room to change clothes. It was a bit childish, but I wanted him to know I was up and not at all happy at the liberties he'd taken while I was asleep. Once inside Stefan's room I locked the door before I changed into my own jeans but I borrowed another one of Stefan's shirts, knotting it at my waist. On one level I realized I was trying to physically remind myself of my connection to Stefan and maybe send a message to Damon as well… I was still his brother's girl.

By the time I left to go downstairs, my fit of temper had cooled considerably, but I was still a little apprehensive about seeing Damon again.

"Hey sleepyhead." Damon greeted me from the couch, setting aside a dog eared book. Idly I wondered which one it was.

"It's not that late." I replied perhaps a little grumpily.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this evening." His eyes flashed with his own private amusement.

"Whose bed would that be?" I demanded, hands on my hips.

He gave me a wolfish grin. "I just wanted you to be comfortable."

"And where did you sleep today?"

His grin widened and I gave a disgusted roll of the eyes.

"Are you hungry?" He pushed up from the couch.

"Maybe a little." I admitted, wondering if he wanted to go hunting again. I wasn't sure I was up to another trip into the city with him, but at the same time a shot of anticipation went through me at the idea.

"Come on, I thought we'd play a little game." He beckoned for me to follow him out of the room.

"What kind of game?" It was impossible to keep the skeptical tone out of my voice, with Damon it could have been literally anything from strip Monopoly to Twenty Questions.

Damon led me to the dining room that had been laid out with service for six. There was no food on the plates but each of the wineglasses were filled. A serving trolley stood nearby, covered with a white cloth.

"Are we expecting company?" My brows climbed.

"Nope, just the two of us." As I watched he pulled out one of the chairs for me and I settled into the seat. Only then did my nose twitch appreciatively, catching the scent of human blood in the room. "What kind of game is this?" I prompted him again.

Damon produced a long strip of red silk that might have been a thin scarf, moving as if to blindfold me but I ducked out of the way.

"Hey I don't know what you had in mind but…"

"Just trust me Elena, it's a game to help sharpen your senses. I won't try anything, scouts honor." Solemnly he raised his hand in a passable rendition of the boyscout salute. Had he ever been a boyscout? Somehow I didn't think so.

Against my better judgment I straightened in the chair and closed my eyes, allowing him to gently bind my eyes closed. Almost immediately I noticed that I was breathing shallowly and forced myself to calm down, reminded myself that I didn't even need any air at all.

"Taste this Elena, this is A positive." His voice was softer than the silk against my skin, and I didn't even flinch when he pressed the first glass to my lips. My hand went up to take the glass out of habit but he quickly brushed it away, keeping hold of the goblet himself. My lips parted to taste the blood, the bright copper flavor filling my senses, but I felt none of the frenzy from my feeding the night before, only a hunger for more. All in all it was not as satisfying as fresh blood but still a damn sight better than animal blood.

Damon allowed me just a swallow before he pulled the glass away, his finger brushing over my bottom lip that was naturally forming a moue of a pout at the loss. "Relax, more is coming." I could hear the traces of amusement in his voice.

The smell of fresh strawberries tickled my nose then and I felt the berry touch my lips. "To cleanse the palate." He offered by way of explanation as I took the offered bite. Next followed a taste of A negative and a bite of rich, dark chocolate. By now my mind was trying to guess at the object of this game and all I could think of was that he'd seen 9 ½ weeks one too many times, but who was I to question it when I was being plied with delicious treats?

We slowly progressed through a sample of each of the blood types before he got to the point of the game. "Alright now I want you to tell me the blood type when I give you a sip." The glass was pressed to my mouth again and having grown comfortable with the game I readily accepted the drink.

"A negative." I reported promptly, with a lick of the lips once he'd taken it away.

"Very good." There was a trace of admiration in his voice and I knew he hadn't been expecting me to get it on the first try. Perhaps as a reward or perhaps to help cement it in my memory I was given another square of the dark chocolate at that. A very small part of me felt like a Pomeranian getting a treat for performing a trick, but mostly I was eager to show my skills in discerning the subtle nuances in the blood types.

Unfortunately, A negative was the only one I could pick out with any certainty, maybe because it was my favorite. The others I could identify whether A or B or what have you, but the positive or negative tripped me up time and again.

He seemed to be enjoying the game almost as much as I was, teasing me with the glass sometimes or with a piece of fruit so that I chased after his fingers with my sharp white teeth. In anticipation of this I caught one of his fingers once as he wasn't quick enough to pull them free and my mouth closed around the pad of his finger, my teeth accidentally piercing the skin. Instinctively I sucked at the tiny flow of blood, learning the taste of him. His blood was different… richer… stronger… I wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but I wanted more.

I heard his groan at the contact and at first thought that I might have hurt him, but it soon became clear that it was quite another kind of sound as my mouth continued to pull at him. "Elena…" He murmured, his breath fanning over the delicate whorls of my ear, sending a delightful shiver down my spine.

Guiltily I released him, withdrawing before I did something I might really regret. "A negative." I announced in a breathless little voice, tongue darting out to moisten my lips as I tugged off the blindfold. His expression was… unreadable, his ice blue eyes blazing with something dangerously close to the surface before his usual smirk returned and we were on normal footing again.

"You did better than I would have thought." He complimented begrudgingly.

"Really? I thought I kinda sucked… no pun intended." I grinned back.

He rolled his eyes at my stupid joke. "Which type was your favorite?" He asked with mild curiosity.

"A negative." I answered readily before I realized what he might infer from that; what he obviously did infer based on the self satisfied smirk on his face. "Where did you get all of this blood anyway?" I asked more to change the subject. Again I marveled that I had been able to sip it and not lunge for the blood. Perhaps because it wasn't attached to a person at the time?

"I have my sources." He shrugged.

"You don't want to share them?"

"Hey, you can get your own contacts. If I give mine up to you then you'll get all the perks and I'll be left out in the cold."

"Fair enough." I accepted that, picking up another square of chocolate and placing it on my tongue. Thank god I could still enjoy regular food, was life really worth living without chocolate? "So, what are you up to tonight? Planning on defiling a church or burning down an orphanage or something? Going hunting?" I asked, figuring that he wasn't planning on babysitting me all night once the blood games were over.

He smiled at that. "Why, you wanna ride shotgun?"

"As much fun as that sounds, I really should put in an appearance back at home. Talk to Jenna about missing school… figure something out." Though I had no idea how to begin.

"What are you gonna tell her?" Damon lounged back in his chair, bringing a glass to his lips and draining the contents.

"I don't really know… I can't tell her the truth, it'd be too much for her to deal with and I don't want to expose you guys. But I can't just disappear forever either." I sighed morosely.

"You could you know. Leave this place behind, start a new life, become whoever you want to be." His eyes were focused intently on me even though his posture was still relaxed.

I looked up sharply at that. "So why haven't you done that then?"

"What makes you think I haven't?" He smirked. "Obviously I haven't spent all my time around Mystic Falls. I've been out in the world, lived under a dozen names…"

"So why do you keep coming back?" I stared back at him.

Damon paused and I wondered for a moment if he even knew what had drawn him back to that place. But finally he answered, "Because this is home."

"They say home is where the heart is." I reminded him.

"Exactly." His eyes flashed with something I didn't recognize.

**Feedback is Love People**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Thanks for all the great reviews guys. I would caution you all to remember that Damon believes he has a chance of getting Katherine out of the tomb alive at this point in history… So when he says home is where the heart is? Doesn't necessarily mean Elena at this point. His intentions are… murky at best for now.**

"_What are you gonna tell her?" Damon lounged back in his chair, bringing a glass to his lips and draining the contents. _

"_I don't really know… I can't tell her the truth, it'd be too much for her to deal with and I don't want to expose you guys. But I can't just disappear forever either." I sighed morosely. _

"_You could you know. Leave this place behind, start a new life, become whoever you want to be." His eyes were focused intently on me even though his posture was still relaxed. _

_I looked up sharply at that. "So why haven't you done that then?"_

"_What makes you think I haven't?" He smirked. "Obviously I haven't spent all my time around Mystic Falls. I've been out in the world, lived under a dozen names…"_

"_So why do you keep coming back?" I stared back at him._

_Damon paused and I wondered for a moment if he even knew what had drawn him back to that place. But finally he answered, "Because this is home."_

"_They say home is where the heart is." I reminded him._

"_Exactly." His eyes flashed with something I didn't recognize. _

* * *

"I'm home." My voice rang out cheerfully. It was a little late, but earlier than my normal curfew. Not quite sure what the reception would be, I headed for the stairs. Halfway up, I caught the sound of angry footsteps in my direction.

"Not so fast… where the heck have you been?" Jenna demanded. "Your school called and said you were absent today."

Crap… hadn't Stefan said he had taken care of this? Apparently not as well as he'd thought. "I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling well today, I pretty much slept through the whole day." _Not a lie._ "I'm sorry if I didn't call you but I really was pretty out of it."

"Hey I get it okay? I was a teenager, I know what it's like. I want to be the cool Aunt Jenna but when you start skipping school I gotta crack the whip."

Geezus this was all I needed. "Jenna, I told you I wasn't ditching, I really was sick in bed…"

"I'm sorry but things have gotten really out of hand this year between you and Jeremy and I was really hoping that you'd be the shining example for him…" She looked like she was gathering her resolve, taking a deep breath. "You're grounded."

"What?" Somehow this all seemed ludicrous, a vampire being grounded. I had the power of life and death in the palm of my hand, but Jenna had the stones to challenge me? It would be easy, so easy to erase this entire conversation from her mind. I could make her do or say anything I wanted. I could make her… _Whoa, was I channeling Damon there for a minute?_ Taking my own deep breath, I forced a smile to my lips. "Alright. So… grounded from what then?"

Jenna blinked as though she'd been expecting a big argument from me. I could tell she hadn't thought this through very well. "Well… let's see. You're staying home tonight and for the rest of the week. Straight home after school." She nodded to herself with satisfaction.

"No TV or dessert either?" I smirked, unable to resist.

"Why are you making me the bad guy? I hate being the bad guy." Jenna complained petulantly, and I almost smiled at that but I didn't want to chance ticking her off further.

"I'm sorry Aunt Jenna, I'm gonna head up to bed now, okay?" Not that I was in any way tired, but I needed to think.

"Are you feeling okay now?" She asked, and I felt bad for having to lie to her.

"No, not really. I still feel really tired. I think I'm coming down with something." It wouldn't hurt to set the expectation that I'd be missing school the next day as well.

"Okay, if you need to stay home tomorrow just let me know… just stay here, okay sweetie?" Jenna gave me a little smile.

"Okay, I'll let you know." I smiled back in return, already moving up the staircase.

"Faker." Jeremy passed me in the hallway at the top of the stairs.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not sick; I can tell when someone's ditching school." He gave a snort.

"Takes one to know one?" I smirked at him. "Look, don't loop me into your juvenile delinquency; I'm not the one skipping school to go get high all day."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, blowing past me.

"Hey, I'm talking to you." I called after him.

"And I'm not listening." He didn't bother to look back at me.

A surge of annoyance went through me and I felt my fangs descend. _Shit…_ Turning away, I hurried to my bedroom before he could see the shift around my eyes. This wasn't going to work, not at all.

I paced around my bedroom, feeling like a trapped animal. Damon's words rang through my mind… I could leave this world behind; create a new one for myself.

My eyes swept over my familiar room, all of my mementos, pictures of my friends, family, everything that told the story of my life. Maybe I was being selfish, but I wanted those things! Was it trying to have my cake and eat it too to cling to my human life as a vampire? Maybe someday I'd be ready to go out and see the world, but for now all I wanted to do was stay put and make this work. Only I had no idea how to go about it.

I was feeling more than a little sorry for myself as I flopped down on the bed, opening my cellphone to call Stefan. Half expecting to reach his voicemail, I was surprised to hear his voice on the other line after just one ring.

"Elena? Is something wrong?" The concern was plain to hear in his voice.

"Does something have to be wrong for me to call you?" I asked, my amusement shining through.

"Well, no." He sounded pleased at that.

"But something _is_ wrong." I admitted with a sigh, looking up at my ceiling.

"What is it?"

Immediately I felt better for having someone to share it with. "Life at home is getting… difficult. I don't want to just run roughshod over their minds but… I don't know what to do about this."

"What happened?"

"Jenna grounded me for ditching school and not coming home tonight without calling." I sighed.

"You didn't go home to sleep today?"

Of course _that_ was the part he picked up on. "Well… no"

"So where… you slept at the boarding house?"

I could hear the unasked question in there… with Damon. _He didn't know the half of it._

"Um, yeah. You don't mind, do you?"

There was a hesitation before he replied. "No of course not. Was Damon being civil at least?"

_And then some._ "Damon? Oh he was pretty helpful actually." Not that I was gonna cop to going hunting with him anytime soon or the impromptu dance party or the little taste test he'd set up for me.

"Really."

"What?" I asked, trying not to sound guilty.

"Nothing." He refused to elaborate.

"So are you getting any closer to finding out whatever it is you're finding out?" A change of subject was in order as far as I was concerned.

"Sort of. I'm having a little bit of trouble getting in touch with the person I'm looking for, but I've been able to reach a mutual acquaintance so I'm hoping to very soon."

"Oh. So you don't know when you might be home?" I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice.

Stefan chuckled at that. "Why do you miss me?"

"Maybe." I smiled on my end of the phone.

"I miss you too. So much. There's so much I want to share with you, I know we have an eternity together but I can't wait to get back and spend it with you." There was an intensity to his voice that scared me a little. It sounded like my turning was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Was this what he'd had in mind for me all along? An eternity together?

I hadn't even decided for sure that I was letting him out of the doghouse for neglecting to tell me he was a vampire yet. I swallowed nervously. "Whoa, slow down. I'm a little preoccupied with how to deal with Jenna right now." I tried to steer the conversation back to a more practical topic.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry." He immediately apologized but I knew that I'd hurt his feelings.

"So… yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"We could see if Damon could affect a more… permanent compulsion on her." It sounded like he hated to even think of asking Damon for anything.

"Damon? Why, isn't that something you could do?" I didn't doubt that my own talents in that area were raw but surely he had the hang of it by now?

"He's much stronger in that arena than I am. It comes from drinking human blood." He said with distaste.

"Oh." So that meant that I could eventually hone that skill if I kept on the human stuff too. "I don't know if that's the route I want to go though, it just seems… wrong. And the school would still wonder why I stopped going. Maybe I could take my GED?" I frowned over that. Would I be missing out on my final years of high school? College? What else would I be missing out on?

I had answered the question… could vampires get headaches? Yes. "I'll think it over, maybe give Damon a call." I said finally.

"Would you like me to ask him for you?" Stefan offered and I could appreciate just how hard that would be for him.

"No, I can ask him just fine if that's what I decide to do."

"Alright." He sounded almost disappointed at that.

"I should go. I'm grounded, so I'm not sure I'm even supposed to be on the phone." While I didn't think Jenna would care, the conversation was bumming me out and I had plenty to think about.

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow night."

"I'd like that." I offered him that as a peace offering, feeling I'd somehow let him down.

"Good night Elena."

"Good night, oh Stefan?"

"Yes?"

"What is your blood type?"

"AB negative why?"

"Oh, no reason, just wondering."

*** back from commercial ***

The rest of the night was spent pacing, or lying on my bed staring up at the ceiling. I picked up the phone a half dozen times to call Bonnie or Caroline… but what could I tell them? It was too late for normal people anyway, about the only person I could call was…

Damon.

My fingers hovered over the keypad, wondering how he'd even gotten into my contact list in the first place, I didn't remember adding him. Of course I didn't remember being put into his bed that morning either, did I? After long deliberation I decided I was being silly, and my fingers got busy texting. *RU busy?* It was less than a minute before my phone beeped with his response.

*Miss me already?*

*ya rite*

*then y u txtng me?*

He had a point. I was still pondering how to respond when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"I knew I was getting to you." His voice sounded inordinately pleased with himself and I couldn't help but smile over that ego.

"Call it boredom, no one else I know is up at this hour. What do you do all night by yourself while everyone else sleeps?" I asked on the edge of a sigh.

"Would you like me to show you? Because I can be there in…"

"Don't you dare! My aunt Jenna would flip out if she caught me with a guy in my room!"

"Then we'll just have to be all quiet like…" His voice was soft as sin.

I laughed at the outrageously sexy tone he used. "That's not why I called." I insisted.

"But you _are_ thinking about it." He insisted.

"You wish."

"Every night."

The silence stretched between us comfortably as we both digested the exchange.

"I spoke to Stefan." I said finally.

"Oh, how's your own personal hero doing? Has he figured out a way to save the day yet?"

"He's… doing good. On the track of something, I dunno, he didn't say too much about it."

"That's my brother, wouldn't want to tip his hand until the end. He would have made a helluva poker player, just not against me cause I can read him like a book."

"Oh you can, can you?"

"Yep, I can read you too." He said smugly.

"Oh you _can_, can you?" There was a bit more skepticism to my voice at that claim.

"Oh yes… I can read every little thought that runs through your mind. It's part of our bond." Damon replied as if that made perfect sense.

"Our bond? What bond?" I scoffed.

"Because I'm your maker." He answered easily.

Christ was that true? "You're full of crap, you can't tell what I'm thinking!" I retorted.

"Sure I can, right now you're thinking I'm full of crap."

"That's because I just said that!" I giggled. Damon started laughing on the other end and I relaxed, knowing he was just teasing me now.

"But I'm right aren't I?"

"Yes, you're right, you are full of crap." I wiped at the corner of my eyes.

"You should laugh more often." He said.

"What?"

"Nothing. So how did it go when you got home?"

"Ugh, bad. Jenna grounded me."

Instead of commiserating he started laughing again and I got the image of him, red faced and rolling on his side holding his stomach.

"It's not funny." I grumbled at being laughed at.

"Yes it is." He managed to get out, still giggling uncontrollably. "She grounded you, and you let her."

"Hey…" I bit my top lip, but a smile was starting to form on my face. It was almost kind of funny, if it hadn't have happened to me. "I'm gonna go if you're just gonna laugh at me." I warned him.

"Ok wait I'll be good." Damon conceded, but he didn't apologize.

"Are you done?"

Damon let out a long exhalation, obviously getting ahold of himself. "I'm good. So. Why don't you just you know…" He trilled a little whistle. "Fix it so that she doesn't care when you come or go?"

"Yeah Stefan said I should ask you about that." I remembered suddenly.

"He did?"

I felt pleased for having managed to surprise him. "Yeah but I don't know if that's the right way to go. Even if she was cool with my new hours, they're not exactly offering night classes at the high school, you know?"

"True." There was a pause. "This is important to you isn't it?"

"Well yeah, maintaining some semblance of my life with my family and friends is important to me." Was that so surprising?

Damon paused again, this time a little longer. "Try not to sweat it too much, things will work out."

"I wish I could share your confidence." I sighed.

"I could come over there and we could share something else." He suggested.

I could practically hear his eyebrows waggling at me. "Thanks all the same but I'm good." But there was a smile on my lips again.

A long drawn out sigh was given. "Okay you're on your own for the night then. Good night Elena."

"Hey Damon?" I stopped him before he hung up.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Just… thanks."

"Eh, you caught me on a good day." Damon hung up before I could respond. I started to wonder how much of his abrasive personality was an act and how much was truly him?

*** back from commercial ***

For the rest of the night I tried to puzzle through what I would do about school. Maybe I could try and force some sleep during the last few hours of the night and then I could drag myself through classes? Better to get detention for falling asleep on my feet than getting tossed out for skipping altogether, right?

I was able to snatch just a couple of hours of sleep before it was time to get up for school and I dragged myself out of bed, taking a shower in the hopes that it would wake me up a bit. Already I felt dead tired and it wasn't even eight in the morning yet. How was I ever going to get through the day at school?

As I came back into my bedroom I spotted a small vial of opaque glass on my dresser sitting on a piece of paper. The paper held a drawing of myself dressed as Alice in Wonderland with Damon as the Mad Hatter, offering me a potion bottle with a big label that said "drink me". What was Damon up to?

I opened the little vial, holding it gingerly to my nose. The milky liquid smelled bitter, but I couldn't quite place it. Was I supposed to really just drink it? Teeth worrying at my bottom lip, I debated as to whether or not to take it. So far Damon hadn't steered me wrong…

Tilting my head back, I downed the liquid in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. Almost immediately I felt a flush of warmth go through me, my limbs feeling tingly and alive. I felt… fantastic!

Grabbing my phone, I called Damon, not thinking that he might already be in bed, but his voice sounded thick with sleep when he answered it.

"H'lo?"

"What is this?" I asked, wondering why I hadn't thought to call him _before_ I'd drunk it down.

"A little something to help you get through the day at school." Damon yawned.

Why hadn't he said anything last night? This would solve my problems, at least until Stefan came back and asked for his ring back. "Thanks Damon, I owe you one." I was already eager to be on the way to school, my feet itching to get moving.

"I know, and I plan to collect." He'd hung up again before I could respond, but I couldn't help but wonder what he had in mind.

**A/N: Lots of dialogue in this one, but interesting to see the contrast in how she talks to each brother I thought. **

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	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Hmmm what **_**was**_** in that vial? It wasn't blood of any kind, but a milky opaque liquid, you'll just have to wait and see…**

_Tilting my head back, I downed the liquid in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. Almost immediately I felt a flush of warmth go through me, my limbs feeling tingly and alive. I felt… fantastic! _

_Grabbing my phone, I called Damon, not thinking that he might already be in bed, but his voice sounded thick with sleep when he answered it. _

"_H'lo?"_

"_What is this?" I asked, wondering why I hadn't thought to call him before I'd drunk it down. _

"_A little something to help you get through the day at school." Damon yawned._

_Why hadn't he said anything last night? This would solve my problems, at least until Stefan came back and asked for his ring back. "Thanks Damon, I owe you one." I was already eager to be out on the way to school, my feet itching to get moving._

"_I know, and I plan to collect." He'd hung up again before I could respond, but I couldn't help but wonder what he had in mind._

* * *

I used to love school.

Not just the social aspect of it but the actual learning. Not the most popular thing to admit to, but I liked it, I was good at it. It made me feel good to get decent grades or when my parents praised me for it. I even admit I liked the feeling when they would say _Why can't you be more like your sister?_ to Jeremy. But I was never a book nerd, let's make that perfectly clear.

After my parents died everything just seemed… like work. Too much effort, too much energy to maintain those grades, but I still did it, because it was expected of me. It was easier to go through the motions and keep the teachers off my back instead of dealing with the constant _Are you okay?_ from any adult who enjoyed their psyche class in college. But the joy of learning had gone out of me long before I met the Salvatores.

Until I died.

Suddenly everything was new. My brain was churning at a zillion miles an hour as I stepped onto the high school campus, the frenetic activity only serving to highlight the buzz of energy I could practically taste. Or maybe it was just the drug or whatever it was that Damon had given me?

In any case, I was giddy and nervous as I had been the first day of high school, seeing each classroom and old acquaintance with new eyes. When had the acoustic ceiling tiles become so water stained and dingy? When had the cafeteria stopped serving meat in the Salisbury steak? When had the overhead projector in English Lit started to smell like old socks? All of these observations and more assailed me as I sat through classes, but I didn't find myself distracted. No, my brain catalogued these tidbits and more as I devoured the lessons, reading and working ahead in class easily while still following a half dozen whispered conversations before the bell rang.

The sea of bodies around me in the hallway was… intoxicating. To be surrounded by the cacophony of voice and so many beating hearts… it was an overload on my sensitive vampire enhanced senses, and I fell back against the row of lockers, letting it all wash over me, a vaguely dazed look on my face I'm sure.

Beyond the sharp scents of too much perfume, deodorants, hair products and more wafted the unmistakable smell of fresh blood and my eyes immediately sought to track down the source, flicking to rest on a skater guy who was wincing over a fresh road rash on both elbows. My mouth started to water and I unconsciously licked my lips, taking a step in his direction.

"Elena!"

I heard Caroline's voice through the din and my head swiveled to see her and Bonnie approaching me, arms linked together. I gave them what I hoped was a cheerful smile, grateful for the distraction that had kept me from doing something foolish. "Hey guys."

As they drew nearer, I could tell right off the bat that Bonnie was looking at me a little funny. So far no one had remarked on my appearance or mannerisms as being anything other than human, but I was starting to get a funny feeling that Bonnie's own… talents might lend her a different perspective. "You look… different." She commented, a pucker appearing on her forehead as she studied me.

"I do?" Playing dumb, I made a show of looking at my outfit to see if anything was out of place.

"You look awesome." Caroline interjected. "Look at how shiny her hair is! I'm totally jealous, you have to tell me what it is you're using." She demanded, and I could have kissed her for shifting the focus to something so ordinary.

"It's an old family recipe, if I told you what it was I'd have to kill you." I teased, and we all laughed. Even Bonnie lost that worried look and I started to relax again.

"So where's Stefan? I haven't seen him around for a couple of days." Bonnie asked.

"Oh yeah the story was that you guys totally ditched school and went on a road trip like Bonnie and Clyde." Caroline grinned.

"Who told you that?" I laughed.

"No one, that's the story _I_ started. Sounds so much more interesting than home sick puking your guts out." Caroline replied as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Were you sick? Jenna didn't say much when I called the other day." Bonnie asked, and she was looking at me funny again.

"Yeah, the doctor thought I might have mono, but I'm feeling much better today."

"Ugh mono." Caroline held up two fingers in the sign of a cross as if to ward off my germs, and I fought the urge to smirk over the unintentional irony of the gesture. "I think we'd better be getting to class don't you think?" She tugged at Bonnie's elbow.

"No… I don't have…" I rolled my eyes at her dramatics, but then thought better of it. It might have been better to have them think that was the case if I wasn't able to get more of whatever it was that Damon had given me to get through the day.

"We'll talk later?" Bonnie's eyes sought mine as the warning bell rang.

"Yeah, sure." I nodded, turning to open my locker before I wound up late for class.

"Hey Elena." Matt sidled up to me and I felt my stomach clench with the tension that had sprung up between us ever since we'd broken up.

"Hey." I smiled back, sparing him a brief look before I kept my focus on the contents of my locker. It wasn't being rude, I told myself, I really did need to get to my next class.

"I was worried about you, thought you might be really sick." He lingered, not picking up on my subtle signals.

Resisting the urge to close my eyes and shake my head, I forced another smile. "I'm fine, really."

"Well it's just when you didn't show up for school and then Stefan was gone too…"

"You didn't believe that gossip Caroline was spreading about us running off together did you?" My brows rose a fraction. I could see by the flush in his cheeks that he had, but became too distracted by watching the flush creep up the side of his face, hearing his heart pump faster. "I'm fine, really. And I haven't seen Stefan for a couple of days. I think he had to go out of town."

"Elena…" There was more he wanted to say, but I had to get out of there.

"I'm gonna be late for class, I'll catch you later, okay?" Without waiting for a response I slammed my locker door shut, enacting a strategic retreat before I did or said something inappropriate. It was a struggle to run at human speeds with that added adrenaline kick of being on the verge of being late for class. But I slipped into my History class just in time, the bell ringing as I slid into my normal seat. I had my text book in front of me, notepad open and pen in hand before I realized we had a new teacher.

And he was staring right at me.

"Good afternoon class. My name is Mr. Saltzman and I'll be taking over Ancient Civilizations for the rest of the term." On the board behind him was his name written in precise script. Alaric Saltzman. Not a name you heard every day.

Mr. Saltzman seemed to know what he was talking about, and I listened to him speak with interest. For most of the lesson he spoke without referencing the text, though when he asked the class questions, it almost always covered what had been in the assigned reading, which I had to think was calculated on his part to cut down on the number of blank stares he got for responses.

More than once he looked at me and seemed to almost lose his train of thought though, and I wondered if maybe I was giving him that intense, unblinking stare I'd seen Damon give people before. Dropping my gaze, I focused on taking unnecessary notes, even though my memory seemed to have improved drastically with the change.

When the bell to dismiss class rang, he was calling out the next reading assignment and I saw his gaze light on me again. For a moment it looked like he was going to say something, but instead he turned to erase the chalkboard. I had to admit, I wondered what was on his mind, but had other things to worry about for the moment.

While the concoction that Damon had left for me had initially produced a burst of energy, I had noticed the effects had started to wane steadily over the course of the morning and early afternoon. While I was still alert enough to pay attention and get around, I found myself yawning as I stepped out of Mr. Saltzman's class and I wondered if I would make it through the rest of the school day and home again before I sank into that nearly catatonic state that seemed to come over me during the daylight hours.

So it was that I didn't see Matt was waiting for me outside the classroom until it was too late.

"Elena… I need to talk to you."

"Matt… come on, we have to get to our next class, we can talk after school okay?" Without stopping I went into the classroom that we shared for the next period. All during class I felt his eyes on me and this time my multi-tasking abilities failed me, I found it much too hard to concentrate on the math, which had never been my favorite subject anyway. My energy was rapidly depleting and I wondered what the effect of a red bull or a 5 hour energy drink would be on my system? Would it do anything at all?

As the bell rang at the end of class, Matt was right there by my side again, but this time he grabbed my elbow and steered me towards the stairwell. If I'd had my wits about me I could have easily evaded his grasp without even causing a scene, but as it was I just let him drag me there. Maybe it would be best to figure out what he wanted now?

"Okay, okay, what is it that's so important it's got you missing P.E.?" I asked, my brows drawing into a scowl.

"When are you gonna admit that everything's not fine?" Matt stared at me, concern etched plainly on his features.

"Wha…?" I blinked, not sure what he was referring to exactly.

"Elena, I know you. Things have been… different between us and I have tried to accept that because it's what you wanted. You moved on and I tried to give Stefan the benefit of the doubt because I thought he was making you happy but…"

_Oh… no. Just what I needed…_ "Matt…" I began in my most serious voice to show that I was listening to him, but his hand came up to cut me off.

"No, let me finish what I have to say." He interrupted me and I fell silent. "I've watched the two of you together and I admit, it tore my heart out to see you happy with another guy, but I tried to be the bigger man, you know? But when I see how upset you've been lately… I can't just sit back and not say something. I think you're making a big mistake where Stefan is concerned."

"You don't even know Stefan." _That wasn't the half of it._ "I'm not upset because of him… exactly." But that wasn't true, I'd been hurt plenty by his keeping things from me and I was still reeling from all of the shifts and changes in our relationship. I honestly didn't know where we stood. "But yeah, you're right, things between us have been strained lately." I admitted.

Relief shifted his features when I didn't just outright deny what he was saying and he took a step closer to me. "Elena, you don't have to put up with that, you're too good for him." He said gently.

"Matt, things between Stefan and I are… complicated at best, but we're working them out."

"I still care about you." Matt took another half step, reaching up to smooth fingers over a lock of my hair. "I know I'm not supposed to say that, we're supposed to be just friends, but I can't help it. I still love you."

I blinked up at him, at a loss for words. The last thing, the very last thing I needed was this complication in my life right now, but I didn't want to hurt him either. "Matt…" I began gently, and I could see the disappointment filter over his face. "Part of me will always love you. But I'm not _in_ love with you. And it doesn't have anything to do with Stefan or anyone else, we're just not meant to be together like that."

He nodded then, looking away and I got the sense that he was trying to get a hold of himself. "I understand." Matt murmured; his voice thick with emotion.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, pulling him into a hug as I'd done a thousand times before.

Only it was the first time I'd hugged him as a vampire. In fact, this was the closest I'd gotten to a human since my encounter with Cammie in the alleyway with Damon. All at once I became aware of the steady thump of his heart that increased once I touched him. His arms went around me, holding me tightly and my new senses started to recognize the signals his body was giving me. The slight rise in temperature, the rush of hormones into his bloodstream and the growing pressure where his jeans were pressed against me.

The vein at his neck throbbed right before my eyes, teasing me with it's strong, steady beat, mocking me with the little shimmy of movement against his skin. I licked my lips, unconsciously moving closer to brush my lips over his skin.

Just one little taste.

The devil on my shoulder urged me to take what was offered. He loved me, I could easily convince him with a little bit of effort on my part that all we'd shared in the hallway was a brief makeout session; it wouldn't take much finesse on my part at all. My breath was coming in soft little pants, though my body had no need for the oxygen. I could feel the fangs start to descend, the skin around my eyes tightening as a rush went through me as I anticipated the taste of his blood.

My teeth scraped lightly over the throb of his pulse and I felt him moan at the contact, mistaking it for something else.

"Elena…" His voice echoed in my ears and I was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu. The inflection was nearly identical to Damon's soft plea at my ear when I'd sucked blood from his finger, but Matt's voice lacked the rich timbre of Damon's sultry bedroom voice. Somehow the thought of that difference was enough to pull me from the trance I'd fallen into and I turned away, eyes snapping shut as I tried to force my body back under my control.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Matt blinked, confused by the sudden shift, and I couldn't blame him. One moment I was telling him that we would never be more than friends, the next I was all but ready to give him a hickey and just as quickly I was pulling away, it was no wonder he was having trouble keeping up.

"I have to go." Letting my hair fall like a curtain to hide my features, I wrenched myself out of his embrace, desperate to get out of there before I did something irrevocable. I could hear him start to come after me but I cheated, blurring out of there at vampire speed so that he stumbled into an empty hallway by the time he came through the door. He was still looking around in confusion as I zipped past the main entrance, desperate to get away from the sea of bodies that tormented my already overburdened senses.

I didn't stop until I had made it safely into my house, leaning against the front door with my eyes closed. The impromptu run had severely depleted my reserves and I found it hard to drag myself up the stairs and get to my room under my own power. I was sure I'd hear about it later that I had blown off the last two periods of school, but I'd rather face Jenna's wrath in that moment than deal with the rest of the school day in my state of mind and body.

Crashing onto my bed, I lacked the strength to even kick off my shoes before the deep sleep overtook me and I knew no more.

**A/N: Asking for input here guys, would you rather I update more frequently with slightly smaller chapters or wait a little longer and give regular sized updates?**

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	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Oooookay I get it now, you guys would rather have secret option number three… longer AND more frequent updates! Thanks for the votes guys, I really wish I could update every day. On average I write about 3000+ words on most work days (more on weekends) but I have so many different writing projects that I can't get to each one each day as much as I'd like to. So I'll do my best to find a happy medium and keep everyone satisfied. **

"_I have to go." Letting my hair fall as a curtain to hide my features I wrenched myself out of his embrace, desperate to get out of there before I did something irrevocable. I could hear him start to come after me but I cheated, blurring out of there at vampire speed so that he stumbled into an empty hallway by the time he came through the door. He was still looking around in confusion as I zipped past the main entrance, desperate to get away from the sea of bodies that tormented my already overburdened senses. _

_I didn't stop until I had made it safely into my house, leaning against the front door with my eyes closed. The impromptu run had severely depleted my reserves and I found it hard to drag myself up the stairs and get to my room under my own power. I was sure I'd hear about it later that I had blown off the last two periods of school, but I'd rather face Jenna's wrath in that moment than deal with the rest of the school day in my state of mind and body. _

_Crashing onto my bed, I lacked the strength to even kick off my shoes before the deep sleep overtook me and I knew no more. _

* * *

"Elena?"

The next thing I knew it was after dark and Jenna was pounding on my door. After a moment I came to realize that she wasn't pounding, that was just my head. My tongue felt thick and dry as I sat up, and I headed for the bathroom to drink straight out of the tap, taking great gulps of water to quell the churning in my belly. Catching my reflection in the mirror, there was no sign of that supposed vampire allure. In fact, I looked like I'd slept in an alley somewhere. I looked… hung over, and it occurred to me that hung over was what I was feeling too. Just what had been in that concoction of Damon's?

"Are you up sweetie?" Jenna called softly, obviously trying not to wake me if I was still asleep.

"Yeah Aunt Jenna." I replied, moving back to the bed to sit back down again.

Jenna opened the door, sticking just her head in before coming into the room. "Boy you were really out like a light." She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Are you still feeling under the weather?"

Under the weather. That sounded like an apt a description as any, I felt like I'd been out in the pouring rain without a jacket for hours, and shivered. "A little. Maybe it was too soon to go back to school." I ventured.

"Yeah you don't want to overdo it." She nodded. "Listen Bonnie is downstairs but I can send her away if you're still not feeling well."

Bonnie. Even though I wasn't feeling my best, I was eager to talk to her, see what she was thinking. "Um, can you send her upstairs?"

"Sure. And how about I make you some soup?" Jenna smiled indulgently, and I could tell she was enjoying the opportunity for a little motherly nurturing, even if it meant I was feeling sick.

"Not just now, but maybe later." I hedged, finding a smile for her. The idea of regular food sounded… repellant in every way, even blood didn't sound all that great. My body was just craving more water and I went to refill my pink aluminum sports bottle while she went down to send Bonnie up.

Bonnie arrived with a soft knock, and I was pleased to note that my headache was already starting to recede a little. "Come in." I called out, sitting back down on the bed.

"Hey." Bonnie smiled, a little hesitant as she entered, but moving to join me on the edge of the bed. "I didn't see you after school, and then Jenna said you were passed out asleep all afternoon, I was a little worried about you." She admitted, studying me carefully.

"Yeah, I've been fighting off this bug; I don't know what it is." I nodded, resisting the urge to squirm under her gaze.

Her hesitation was a bit more pronounced now, as if she was trying to decide whether or not to say anything. "Are you sure that's all it is?" She asked finally.

"Um… yeah, what else would it be?" Play dumb; it was a valid strategy.

"You just seem…"

Suddenly I didn't want to know what I seemed like, and decided to try and throw her off the scent so to speak. "Well there was one thing… with Matt." I gave her a look. "He cornered me between classes, he started saying all this stuff about Stefan being wrong for me and that he still loves me. I… guess I didn't deal with it very well." _There, let her chew on that for a while… _

"He did?" Bonnie blinked, clearly not having expected me to say something like that. "What did you say to him?"

"What _could_ I say? Bonnie I don't love him like that, I don't know if I ever did. Just because things with Stefan and me are a little strained right now…"

"So things are still off there? Did you ever talk to him about it? Confront him about his weird behavior and your suspicions?"

_Did I ever…_ Instead I just shook my head. "He went out of town for a few days, and it's not something I want to get into over the phone." That part was true enough.

"He did? I thought you were over at his place for the couple of days you missed school?" Her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Well, yeah, I was. But I was asleep for most of the time." Not completely a lie, I had slept during the days.

"You should have called me, I would have come to pick you up and take you home."

"That's okay, I was alright; Damon was there."

"Damon?" A single brow rose skeptically. "And that was a good thing?"

I shifted uncomfortably, "He's not as bad as everyone thinks." God, what was I saying? Even as the words came out of my mouth I realized it was true. I'd come to rely on him in the past few days and not just because he was my only option.

Bonnie wasn't as easily convinced though. "Elena… you're not…"

"What with Damon? No, god no…" I protested quickly. "We're just friends."

"When did that happen?"

"Just recently I guess. He's sorta been there for me since Stefan left town."

"Did you and Stefan have a fight before he left?"

"Not exactly, things between us are just… complicated right now." _Understatement of the century. _

"I'm sorry Elena; I know how much he means to you." Bonnie gave me a sympathetic smile and things were okay between us again. Until she reached over to touch my arm and froze; her eyes going wide with shock and dismay.

"Bonnie?" I started to get worried when the look lingered, her eyes staring off at some far away place. "Bonnie, what is it?"

Her eyes snapped back to the present then, and she visibly shrank away from me, stumbling backward to her feet. "I have to go…"

"Bonnie! What did you see?" I demanded, standing up myself.

Bonnie's hip struck my dresser as she edged her way to the door and her features twisted with pain. "I saw you… I saw you drinking a girl's blood with Damon."

Of all the things she could have flashed on in that moment… I muttered a few choice expletives under my breath. "Bonnie it's okay, I swear. I can explain everything."

"Explain? How are you gonna explain that you're a… a… vampire?" The last word came out with disgust.

"Bonnie I'm still me, I promise. I would never hurt you, or anyone." My voice throbbed with sincerity, but I fought to keep from using my compulsion on her, I wanted her to believe it for real.

"Yeah? Tell that to the girl I saw you feeding off of." She scoffed.

"She liked that." The defense leapt to my lips. Hearing what that sounded like, I could see I was in a losing argument. "We didn't hurt her, not really, Damon made sure we were really careful."

"So this is how Damon's really been there for you lately? He's teaching you how to eat people?" Bonnie bit out bitterly.

"He saved my life!" I hadn't really acknowledged that out loud before, but it was true. "I would have died a few nights ago after I wrapped my car around a tree, but he chose to turn me instead of let me die." I took a half step closer to her, my hands outstretched in a supplicating gesture. "I can't help what I am now, but I can try and live without harming others. Damon is my best hope of trying to get control over this thing."

"What about Stefan? He's one too isn't he? Why isn't he here helping you through all of this?"

A fair question. "He went off in search of…" At the last minute I changed my mind about telling her about the magic rings. At the moment she didn't look like she was okay with any of this and that was dangerous information for anyone to have. "…something to help me make the transition, to curb the cravings." If only that were true! Even then, half hungover and in the middle of this discussion about how I would never hurt her, I was aware of her heart beating madly in her chest, the spike of fear that spiced her blood.

"Bonnie… I didn't have to tell you any of this. I could have made you forget all about it." I said gently. "I was hoping that you might be the one person who could understand and maybe help me get through this, given that you're not exactly… normal yourself.

"Yeah well getting visions and the occasional burst of power isn't exactly on par with viewing people as fast food." Bonnie muttered, but the wild, trapped look had started to fade from her eyes.

"Everything will be okay, I promise, you'll see. Just… please keep my secret until I can figure out what to do about this." I pleaded, hoping our friendship was strong enough to keep her on my side.

I could tell she was conflicted, but Bonnie gave me a little nod and a tight lipped smile. "I gotta go." She mumbled, moving towards the door and this time I let her go.

Once she was gone, I picked up the phone, dialing Stefan automatically, but all I got was his voicemail and I hung up without leaving a message. My thumb hovered over the keyboard as I debated whether or not to call Damon. Was I getting too dependent on him? And what if I told him about Bonnie and he decided that it was too dangerous for her to know about us and he decided to… take steps?

I had no doubt that he was capable of sacrificing Bonnie to save his own hide, but how far would he take it? Would he just erase the memory of our conversation or would it be something more? Clearly Bonnie had known something was up with me, it would only be a matter of time before she figured it out again even if he did erase the knowledge from her mind now.

Tossing the phone onto the bed, I headed for the shower to help clear my head.

*** back from commercial ***

Feeling much refreshed after the shower and change of clothes, I ventured out of my room, that bowl of soup sounding almost good. As I started down the stairs, I could tell that something was… off. Maybe not off, but different. It pricked at my senses, making me alert as I came downstairs, fearing the worst. As I took in the scene before me, I couldn't decide if what I'd found was good or bad.

Damon was sitting comfortable as could be on my living room couch, watching TV.

As I stared dumbfounded, Jenna came out of the kitchen bearing a bowl of popcorn, a placid smile on her face. "Here you go, extra butter, just how you like it. Oh Elena, are you feeling better?"

I nodded mutely, waiting for her to make her exit before I approached Damon, my expression thunderous. "What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Well you can't go out right? Grounded I believe you said?" Damon answered blandly, popping a kernel of popcorn into his mouth.

"I thought I told you I didn't want you to screw with her head?"

Damon leaned forward, his expression earnest. "In case you missed it, I don't exactly do what I'm told, that's Stefan." He sat back against the couch, clearly with no intent to move.

"So if you were gonna mess with her mind, then why didn't you just fudge it so I could get off of being grounded and just leave?" I asked, wondering why he had sought me out that night. Was he… lonely?

"Oh, you'd rather I do that? Well get her back in here, I'm game. Anything else you'd like while I'm at it? A new car? The last one's still a little crispy isn't it?" He smirked.

"No, this is fine." I sat down in a huff at the opposite end of the couch, as far away from him as possible. "What are you watching?"

"Fright Night. A real vampire classic." He replied, turning his attention back to the screen as he absently munched on popcorn.

I'd seen it before, a long time ago and I admit, I had felt a little sorry for the vampire… until he'd gotten all disgusting and gross at the end. We watched the movie in companionable silence for a few minutes, me reaching over for a handful of popcorn before I retreated back to my corner.

Damon seemed wholly engrossed in the film, openly grinning when the vampire finagled an invitation to the guy's house from his mother. "I love this movie. I mean apart from the girl looking just like his old lover, I mean how lame is that? He smirked, and the reference to Katherine wasn't lost on me.

"Yeah, what kind of a moron would get all obsessed with a girl just because she looked like his ex?" I raised a brow at him, feeling triumphant when I saw the disgruntled look come over his face. Had I hit a little too close to home?

"How was school today?" He changed the subject.

"It was... it had its ups and downs." I admitted. "Hey what was that stuff that you gave me by the way?" I remembered to ask.

"Did it work for you?"

"Yeah it worked great for most of the day, but what was it?"

"A little something I discovered in my travels." Damon gave a noncommittal shrug.

"But what was it?" I persevered.

"Do you want some more?" He turned to give me a mischievous smile, and I could tell my curiosity was giving him way too much pleasure, but I couldn't help but persist.

"But what _was_ it?"

"What difference does it make, as long as it works?"

I thought about that long and hard as his attention returned to the movie. Whatever it was had enabled me to get through most of the day and I probably could have pushed through the afternoon if there hadn't been that incident with Matt. Sure I'd woken up feeling like hell, but those effects had already disappeared, maybe it was worth the risk? Still the secrecy he wrapped around it made me uneasy. But then again, that was probably just the reaction he was going for.

"Yes." I said finally. "I want more."

Damon's smirk was instantaneous. "What will you give me for it?"

"What do you want?" I countered, eyes narrowing.

His smile widened, leaving me to my own conclusions as to what he wanted based on the way he was looking at me; like he wanted to eat me up.

"Eewh no way…" Whatever it was he wanted, the price seemed too high.

"I'm curious to know what you think I want Elena." Damon said thoughtfully, watching me carefully.

"Just tell me what you want for it." My brows drew together in annoyance, tired of talking in circles. He either was or wasn't going to help me; I didn't want to keep playing guessing games.

"I'll settle for… a kiss."

A kiss? I frowned at that, things were moving towards shaky ground between the two of us. While I might have been able to rationalize the kiss we'd shared in the alleyway, consciously choosing to kiss him now was a step I wasn't sure I was prepared to make. "I don't think Stefan would like that very much." I used him like a shield.

"Stefan doesn't have to know about it then." He pointed out.

I shook my head, it just didn't seem right. "I don't like keeping secrets from him."

"Oh, so you were planning on telling him about our little hunting trip then? Or the taste test? Or the fact that you've tasted my blood before his?" Somehow that last seemed to be a significant factor, though I didn't understand why at the time.

I was silent at that, my lips pressed together in a mutinous line as I mulled that over. While it was true I had no intention of telling Stefan any of those things, this still seemed to be in an entirely different ballpark.

Shifting in my seat to face him more fully, I studied him for a moment. "Why would you possibly want to coerce me into kissing you? I mean doesn't it bother you to try and force something like that? It wouldn't mean anything."

Damon just smiled at that, and I could only guess at his motives.

But I needed that drug to get me through the day if I wanted to continue to play at being a human... And it was just a kiss, right? No harm in that. It wouldn't be a betrayal of Stefan because it wouldn't be a _real _kiss. "Alright, I'll do it."

**A/N: I'm sure we can all applaud Elena's **_**sacrifice**_** in agreeing to kiss Damon. :P I can't believe Vampire Diaries is almost here again! Woot! **

**In other news, the new book is coming along well. I'm about 14K into it so far, so a little ahead of schedule. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Good call guys, a kiss always leads to more…**

_A kiss? I frowned at that, things were moving towards shaky ground between the two of us. While I might have been able to rationalize the kiss we'd shared in the alleyway, consciously choosing to kiss him now? Was a step I wasn't sure I was prepared to make. "I don't think Stefan would like that very much." I used him like a shield._

"_Stefan doesn't have to know about it then." He pointed out._

_I shook my head, it just didn't seem right. "I don't like keeping secrets from him."_

"_Oh, so you were planning on telling him about our little hunting trip then? Or the taste test? Or the fact that you've tasted my blood before his?" Somehow that last seemed to be a significant factor, though I didn't understand why at the time._

_I was silent at that, my lips pressed together in a mutinous line as I mulled that over. While it was true I had no intention of telling Stefan any of those things, this still seemed to be in an entirely different ballpark._

_Shifting in my seat to face him more fully, I studied him for a moment. "Why would you possibly want to coerce me into kissing you? I mean doesn't it bother you to try and force something like that? It wouldn't mean anything."_

_Damon just smiled at that, and I could only guess at his motives. _

_But I needed that drug to get me through the day if I wanted to continue to play at being a human... And it was just a kiss, right? No harm in that. It wouldn't be a betrayal of Stefan because it wouldn't be a real kiss. "Alright, I'll do it."_

"So… okay then." I waited, thinking he would just kiss me and be done with it.

"Okay then." Damon reclined back against the couch and it became clear to me that he wanted me to kiss him. With a disgusted sigh I scooted closer, realizing that I'd have to lean way over him or shift position to reach his lips. I chose the latter, climbing up on my hands and knees on the couch and bracing myself on the arm to lean in and briefly press my lips against his, sitting back as soon as it was over.

"You want enough to get you through the day, right?" He smirked. I let out along exhalation and he chuckled. "Come on Elena, what are you afraid of? You might even like it." He flashed his eyes at me and it did things to my insides, making them flutter.

That was exactly what I was afraid of… "Okay just… close your eyes, would you? This is hard enough without you looking at me." I grumbled, waiting for him to comply before I would make another attempt.

"Whatever floats your boat." His eyes slid shut, his face becoming oddly tranquil as he waited for me to make the next move.

I leaned in again, approaching him much slower this time, debating the angle of my attack so to speak. Damon was absolutely still as my lips brushed tentatively over his, making sure I was definitely the instigator of this kiss. For a moment I wondered if it would be awkward, like kissing a corpse if he remained unresponsive. But then his lips parted under mine, and my tongue swept out to taste him. It was different this time, not fueled by blood lust but something else and his kiss was almost tender as his tongue stroked against mine.

The kiss went on and on, neither of us touching each other except where our mouths were joined. Damon seemed content to kiss like this for as long as I would let it continue, he neither pressured me for more nor pulled away. I should have pulled back then. I had kissed him as he'd asked, but my body had ideas of its own. And in that continued kiss, I realized I was offering an invitation of my own. An invitation he was all too happy to accept. With great effort, I tore my lips from his, but did not pull away. "Damon…" My eyes opened to see if he'd been as affected as I was.

"Yes…?" He looked supremely amused by my discomfiture.

A little disappointed by that controlled response, I swallowed, "Was that enough?"

"You tell me." His blue eyes met mine, something indefinable behind them.

Was it? God, I didn't know anymore… I had just opened my mouth to reply when my cell phone rang, pulling my attention away from his hypnotic gaze and back to the present.

"Elena? I got your message, is something wrong?" Stefan's voice was like a bucket of cold water on whatever had started to build between Damon and I, and I immediately withdrew to my side of the couch, tucking my legs up under me.

"Stefan, hi. No, nothing's wrong." I replied, maybe just a little too quickly. "When are you coming back home?"

I looked up to see Damon rolling his eyes dramatically, reaching for the popcorn bowl again.

"I'm still not sure, but I hope to have some good news for us very soon. I miss you Elena."

"I miss you too." I said softly, tucking my hair behind my ear and looking away from Damon, wishing for a moment of privacy. Damon responded by lobbing a handful of popcorn at me. "What are you five?" I hissed.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Oh it's just Damon being a pain." I stuck my tongue out at Damon, who blew me a kiss.

"Damon is there with you? I thought you were at home, grounded?" I could practically hear the frown in his voice.

"Yeah, he's over here watching a movie."

Silence.

"It's vampire 101, we're watching Fright Night." I tried to put a smile in my voice, keep things light, but my own guilt was eating away at me and Stefan's prolonged silence wasn't exactly helping assuage that feeling. "Um… is everything okay?" I asked after a long pause went by.

"You tell me." He replied, and I instantly thought of Damon's earlier words.

My eyes flicked to Damon's. I knew he could hear everything Stefan was saying too, the smirk on his face was proof enough of that. "No it's fine, he's helping me out with Jenna. But I think he's lonely more than anything else, what with the boarding house all empty." I shot him a teasing glance.

Something flickered over Damon's features when I pegged him as lonely, but he quickly shuttered it away.

"More likely he just couldn't resist pushing in where he's not wanted. Just like he always did." Stefan bit out and I was a little surprised by the virulence in his voice. Even given their volatile relationship, it seemed a bit extreme unless he somehow knew how… inappropriate things between Damon and I had gotten.

"Um… I should probably let you go." I replied after another awkward silence.

"Yeah, okay." Stefan said, "I love you Elena."

I couldn't repeat the words back to him. Christ, what was I going to do? "Good night Stefan." I said softly, hanging up.

"So, where were we?" Damon smirked, setting aside the popcorn.

If he thought I was just gonna hop back into his arms again he was delusional. Just because I was coming to realize that things between Stefan and I were definitely more off than on didn't mean I was ready to just swap the brothers out. "You asked for a kiss and I gave you one, that's it, no more." I said resolutely.

Damon seemed to take that in stride. "So, you want to get out of here? Go for a drive? Maybe a hunt?" He suggested.

Maybe that was a good idea, get out of the house, a little fresh air? As long as I didn't have to think or wasn't in a position where I put myself any closer to Damon than I already was, it was as good a plan as any. "Where do you hunt around here? Or do you always go into the city?"

"Anywhere I want." He shrugged.

"And nobody notices?" That seemed a little risky to me.

Damon gave a careless shrug. "I'm sure I'm noticed slipping away with lovely ladies from time to time, but nobody notices me sprouting fangs, no."

"So you just… take women in alleyways like that?" I could feel my excitement growing again against my better judgment as I thought back on our hunt together.

"No, I don't do much that bold here in town, I save it for special occasions."

"Oh." I processed that for a moment.

"How about tonight you pick the victim? You lure him or her out and I'll just watch."

"You like to watch do you?" I couldn't help but smirk.

"Up until a certain point, then I'm more of a hands on type of guy." His eyes flashed.

Suddenly I wasn't so sure I wanted to go. Our "friendship" if that's what you could call it was already on dangerously thin ice, and that fact that I was starting not to care scared the hell out of me. "I should probably stick around here…" Regardless of whether or not things between Stefan and I were on the skids, Damon was dangerous.

Only maybe I was craving a little bit of danger?

"Okay, we can stay here if you'd prefer. Hell we can even order in, delivery boys can be very tasty."

"I don't remember inviting you." I pointed out, doing my best to give him a version of his own smirk.

"But I've already been invited into your home so good luck trying to keep me out now." He countered.

He had a point there, and he was much stronger than I was, there was not a lot I could do to make him leave; and I wasn't so sure I wanted him to. Still, I couldn't let him know that, it would give him far too much power over me. "So you're gonna just camp out on my sofa all night? Enjoy." I rose to my feet, leaving him to it.

All at once Damon pulled me into his lap as I passed by him. "I intend to."

"Okay very funny, now let me go." My balance was off, and I struggled to pull away but he kept me firmly within his grasp.

"First we have some unfinished business." He replied, his arms as unbreakable as iron bands around me.

"I already gave you what you wanted." I protested, swallowing nervously. This was the closest I'd been to him, our bodies pressed together intimately.

"You have no idea what I want." Damon growled, pulling me to him, his mouth captured mine before I could respond.

This kiss was demanding, and he took what he wanted without asking. To my utter shame I gave without protest, our lips never parting. Everything else forgotten, my whole world became the feel of his body, the rasp of his cheek against mine, the taste of him that was purely his own, his hands roaming freely over me.

His kiss was wild and primal and I could feel the hunger barely suppressed within him threatening to devour me should he unleash it. Overwhelmed, I pressed my hands to his chest, trying to create a little bit of space between us but he wouldn't allow it. Damon's talented mouth and hands soon eroded my initial hesitation and soon I was completely swept up in the kiss again, clinging to him every bit as much as he was holding tight to me, blood singing in my veins as my arousal spread like wildfire wherever our bodies touched.

I did however stop him when his hand started to edge my shirt up as if he intended to pull it off. "Whoa, slow down cowboy." I gasped, trying to gather my wits about me.

"Don't be a tease Elena, I know you want me." His hands stilled but he didn't let go of me, his lips nuzzling against my throat.

"Okay, maybe I did want a kiss sure, but that doesn't mean I'm offering an open invitation to just do me on the couch out here in the open." I insisted, my voice remaining firm.

"Shall we go somewhere more… private then?" His teeth caught my earlobe and gave it a not so gentle tug causing my breath to hiss between my teeth.

"I think you're missing the point."

"You're over thinking this Elena. You want me, I want you… why not be together?" He licked my earlobe.

"Because…" I pulled my head away to try and catch his eyes. "Because I am with your brother."

"Are you?" He smirked at that and I suspected he knew that I was wondering the same thing. "Come on Elena, you know we'd be good together." His tongue laved over the sensitive spot behind my ear and I shivered.

"Stop distracting me!" I snapped, pulling farther away. "And I don't know… that that's a thing… that I know…" I hated the note of uncertainty in my voice but that just proved that I shouldn't be making any life altering decisions at the moment.

"Sure you do, I can feel it when I touch you, are you saying you don't feel it too?" He stroked his fingers down the sensitive skin of my neck.

A shiver of delight coursed through me and it took a long moment to focus my thoughts again before I could reply. "Feeling a physical response for a person doesn't mean we're M.F.E.O."

"But it's a helluva lot of fun."

"Ugh, you are a bastard, you know that?"

"But you like it, don't you?" He grinned.

"What _do_ you want?" I asked earnestly. All kidding aside I really wanted to know. Was this all just a game to him? Was I just the best way to get back at his brother or did he actually want me as more than a roll in the hay (or couch as the case may be)?

Several expressions flitted across his features, so fast I couldn't begin to interpret them. "You sure know how to kill a mood." Damon grumbled, tossing me off of his lap onto the couch beside him. He was already up on his feet and halfway to the door by the time I scrambled upright.

"Wait!" I called after him, following him to the door. "What about for tomorrow? I need that stuff to get me through the day at school."

"I'll be back with it, I don't have it on me."

"But you can get it, right? I mean you have some more?"

"Don't worry Elena, I always honor my bargains. And you already paid upfront. I'll be back with it before you leave for school, you can count on that." He smirked.

*** back from commercial ***

It was late, near dawn but I still hadn't gotten any more rest. After Damon left, I had sat watching TV with unseeing eyes, my thoughts too muddled about the events of the night to focus on anything else. Somehow I'd found myself getting sucked deeper and deeper into Damon's machinations. And I was sure that's all they were. If he'd felt anything real for me he wouldn't have left the way he had. Which meant that the feelings I was starting to have were… misplaced at best.

Things would be further complicated when Stefan returned, and I didn't just mean the fact that my feelings for him had cooled decidedly. I would have to give him back the ring, which meant no more sun and no more school. Unless he magically turned up another ring for me to wear, but what were the odds of that? And could I just accept the ring from him and then dump him? Cold much?

I started to wonder if I was just kidding myself. Could I really make a go of things in Mystic Falls? Or was I just delaying the inevitable? I wasn't human, how long would I be able to pass for one? Added to this was the fact that I'd turned down the opportunity to hunt with Damon that night. I wondered how long it would be before the needs of my new body would make themselves known? Could I really trust myself to be around people at school with this hunger building inside me?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Damon's voice came from the window, and I couldn't help but feel relieved.

"I should have gone hunting with you. Now I'm…"

"Hungry."

"Yeah, in a word." I nodded.

"You need a little something to tide you over?" He asked, lifting a single brow.

"What you just happen to have some Type A stashed in your back pocket?" I scoffed.

"No, but I can spare a little."

"Drink from you?" My mouth dropped open at the offer. "I thought… I mean don't vampires just drink from humans?"

"In general, yeah. But mostly because most vampires aren't the sharing type."

"And you are?" I replied, my voice tinged with doubt. Just what would he be getting out of it, I wondered?

"To some." A half shrug was given. "And I didn't say I'd let you drain me, but my blood is more powerful than your average schmo on the street, less should get you through the day."

"Look, don't take this the wrong way but… why are you offering?"

"What I can't make a selfless offer?" He pretended to look hurt, but couldn't manage it for more than a second or two before his mocking smile returned. "Having you drink some of my blood is not without its own… benefits."

Instantly I recalled the taste test, when I'd accidentally taken just a touch of his blood; the moan of pleasure such a little taste had given him. Suddenly I began to see the appeal for him. But what would it hurt? If it kept me from eating any of my teachers or friends it was probably worth it, right?

"Okay, just a taste." I nodded, tongue darting out to moisten my lips in anticipation.

**A/N: Only one more sleep till the Vampire Diaries Season Premiere! Counting the hours!**

**Feedback is Love People**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Good call guys, a taste always leads to more…**

**I have to say I'm living a little vicariously through these fics now that the odds of Delena goodness on the show looks to be far off in the future now!**

"_Drink from you?" My mouth dropped open at the offer. "I thought… I mean don't vampires just drink from humans?"_

"_In general, yeah. But mostly because most vampires aren't the sharing type."_

"_And you are?" I replied, my voice tinged with doubt. Just what would he be getting out of it, I wondered?_

"_To some." A half shrug was given. "And I didn't say I'd let you drain me, but my blood is more powerful than your average schmo on the street, less should get you through the day."_

"_Look, don't take this the wrong way but… why are you offering?"_

"_What I can't make a selfless offer?" He pretended to look hurt, but couldn't manage it for more than a second or two before his mocking smile returned. "Having you drink some of my blood is not without its own… benefits." _

_Instantly I recalled the taste test, when I'd accidentally taken just a touch of his blood; the moan of pleasure such a little taste had given him. Suddenly I began to see the appeal for him. But what would it hurt? If it kept me from eating any of my teachers or friends it was probably worth it, right? _

"_Okay, just a taste." I nodded, tongue darting out to moisten my lips in anticipation._

* * *

"So… how do we do this?" Bowing to his expertise, I waited for him to take the lead.

I saw something flash over his face, it might have been hunger but surprisingly he reeled in whatever obnoxious thing had been headed out of his mouth next. "Well, what feels the most natural to you?" He took a step closer to me

Nothing about this felt natural to me, but I nodded. "Um, why don't you sit down on the bed?"

"Alright." Damon complied easily, a little too easily; obedient as a school boy. But just as quickly, he pushed that threshold, reaching for and undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, my expression wary.

"I just got this shirt, I don't wanna get blood on it. Varvatos, you understand." He dropped me a wink.

"Yeah, okay." I nodded, my eyes dropping as the smooth expanse of skin was revealed. Quickly averting my gaze, I tried to focus on something, anything else but the sight of Damon Salvatore half naked on my bed. Gradually I became aware that he was just staring at me, waiting.

"How do you want me?" His tone was innocent, but there was something lurking behind his eyes that spoke of more.

I picked up his hand, studying the bluish lines of his veins at the wrist. "I guess I should start here." I was chickening out, I'm not afraid to admit that now, but at the time I told myself it was the logical decision.

"If I might make a suggestion… the wrist is good in a pinch, but the flow is much stronger by a major artery. The neck or…" His eyes dipped but he left the rest to my imagination; but there was no way in hell I was going for the groin.

"So the neck…" I nodded, moving a little closer, still standing before him between his parted knees.

"On the other hand, there is discretion to consider." He pulled back, falling against the bed and propping himself up on his elbows.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Well I can't just walk around with a giant hickey visible on my neck, especially in a town with a history of vampires, people will start to talk." He pointed out with a smirk.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. So maybe the wrist is the better choice after all?" He didn't seem thrilled over that idea and I had to wonder, why was he jerking me around over this? "So what do you do when you don't want to leave a visible mark? I'm not biting you below the belt so get your head out of the gutter." I wanted to make that perfectly clear.

"That wasn't what I was suggesting, but I like where your head is at." He smirked. "I'm just suggesting perhaps another location that might not be as highly visible."

"Such as?" I waited, since it was clear that he had something in mind from the start.

"I do believe there is a tradition among vampires in biting their pray on the breast." His eyes dipped to my chest and I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself, which only made the 'girls' sit up a little higher to my chagrin. I immediately dropped my arms to my sides, feeling awkward.

"You want me to bite you on the breast?" I raised a skeptical brow.

"Well, the chest." He gestured to a perfect pec, knowing it would draw my gaze there, and it did.

I swallowed, considering my options and knowing that the clock was ticking. Soon I would have to get ready for school. "I thought you said it was best to stick close to a major artery?"

"That's one of the things to consider, I'm just tossing another log onto the fire." He gave a half shrug, continuing to watch me from his vantage point on the bed.

As if I didn't have enough to think about!

"If it makes you feel any better, it's actually suggested with your safety in mind." Damon added.

That got my attention. "How do you mean?"

"Only that once we start this… I'm likely to be…" He hunted around for the right words for a moment. "…operating on instinct. Given that set of circumstances, my instinct is going to be to reciprocate."

"Reciprocate?" My eyes widened as I realized he meant feeding from me as well. "Wouldn't that be kind of counterproductive?" I was already taking a half step backwards.

Damon chuckled at that. "That won't be on the top of my mind at the time Elena. All I'll be focused on what you're doing to me and my body will react. I just wanted to be up front with you about it so there aren't any little surprises once we get started."

A little taken aback by the honesty, I had to give him credit for laying it out on the table like that. "Thanks, I appreciate that." I nodded. "So, how is the chest safer then?"

"Because you'll be lower on my body, and your neck won't be within easy reach of my mouth." He replied easily.

"Oh." Idly I wondered if he'd spent some time thinking about this before the casual offer was made. It certainly sounded like he'd worked through all the permutations in his head before. "Okay then, chest seems to be the way to go." I nodded, moving closer. Now that I had a plan of sorts, the next thing was to decide how to go about doing it. Lying atop him seemed like a bad way to start things out, so I moved to the side, climbing gingerly onto the bed beside him.

Damon watched my every move, a tilt of amusement to his lips as he saw me analyzing the problem carefully. Once I was beside him, he reclined the rest of the way, lying back on the bed, arms at his sides. "Anytime you're ready."

"Don't rush me." I retorted a little heatedly, pushing the hair back behind my ears. I found it was much harder to approach him with his eyes on me and considered asking him to close them as he had for the kiss; but was too embarrassed to make that request of him. My anticipation was growing and I felt my fangs descend the closer I got to him.

Finally, deciding I was wasting enough time being such a baby about it, I descended upon his chest, my fangs piercing the skin just above his nipple. I never knew which one of us made the first noise, the sound of my own moan of pleasure over the taste of his blood mingled with his as I pulled at his flesh.

If drinking human blood was like eating the juiciest, most savory burger from your absolute favorite hang out, this was like eating a gourmet meal at a four star restaurant. Everything about his blood was richer, stronger; I could feel it down to my toes the moment it hit my taste buds. The tiny amount I had tasted from his finger the other night had done nothing to prepare me for this potent drink and I wondered why vampires would ever want to drink from humans at all? Especially if it felt as good to him as it sounded.

His fingers sank into my hair, binding me to him as I drank, and his body shifted under me, seeking mine out. My body responded instinctively, craving more contact with his in this intimate act. The next thing I knew he was stroking my back, fingers questing under my shirt in search of bare skin. And then I was touching him too, hands moving over the smooth planes of his chest, down his rock hard abdomen… to the hardness below.

Another groan tore from his throat at my touch and I pressed myself against him shamelessly as I drank and drank. It was wrong, I knew it even as I did it, but I found myself powerless to stop; wanting to take it even further. Damn it but in that moment, I _wanted_ him to reciprocate. I wanted to feel what he was feeling because it sounded _incredible_.

Tearing my mouth from the lure of his blood, I moved up to his neck, licking my lips. "Do it. Go ahead, taste me. I want you to." I implored him through the haze of the blood lust.

Damon's mouth crashed against mine, the taste of his blood shared between us and I met his kiss fiercely. He pushed me back on the bed, covering me with his body and I welcomed him, arms wrapping around him as I kissed him with abandon. He pulled back to gaze down at me, his teeth extended, his eyes dark with desire.

My head fell to one side as I waited for the sting at my neck; but I felt his hesitation, felt his body go rigid with tension.

"You'd better go now, leave while you can or you'll be spending the rest of the day in bed with me." He growled at my ear and I could see the struggle going on within him.

He was turning me down? I stared up at him in confusion. "I thought that was what you wanted?"

"What do _you_ want Elena? Leave aside the blood for the moment, is this what you want? Really want?"

He had me there, as the haze of blood lust started to dissipate, the burning desire for him also started to fade. There was still an attraction, a strong one, but it no longer felt like I might die without him taking me right that moment. But why was he pulling away? The question wasn't enough to take away the sting of rejection.

"I'll just be taking a cold shower now." Damon pushed himself away from the bed, leaving me to stare after him. "Feel free to join me if you like." He waggled his brows at me before disappearing into my bathroom.

Feeling thoroughly confused, I let out a shaky breath, trying to figure out what had just happened. _Damon_ had been the one to pull back, to question what it was that I'd wanted, only to follow it up with another cheesy come on. Clearly he didn't want me to join him in the shower, or he might have taken me up on what I'd offered him on the bed. So what was his game?

The shower came on then and the thought of Damon in my shower was enough to send a shiver through me, shaking me out of my thoughts. I had to get ready for the day, and hasted to get changed before he emerged from the bathroom. It turned out that I needn't have worried, he took longer than I did to get ready and I had been completely dressed and ready to go ages before he stepped out, his hair in careful disarray.

"Feeling better?" He asked, smirk firmly back in place again.

"I should ask you the same thing. You're the one who ran away." I pointed out and was rewarded with a wince as I struck him some place vulnerable. I was feeling fantastic actually, his blood had invigorated me and I hardly felt tired even though the sun was rising higher in the sky.

"Right, well… I have stuff to do, so I'll just leave you to it. Have fun at school Elena, make good choices." He gave me a superior smile, moving towards the window.

"Wait…" I took a step after him before he stopped and turned to face me again.

"Oh right, you want what's bought and paid for." He nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out another little vial of the milky white substance. "Here you go."

Taking the vial from his hands, I opened it, giving it another experimental sniff. "What's in it?" I tried again.

"A little bit of magic." His eyes flashed mysteriously and he smiled as he moved to the window again. "Catch you later." He gave a half wave and then he was gone.

*** back from commercial ***

School was rough. On the plus side, I found I could zip through my homework in the first few minutes of class and hardly needed to pay attention in class. On the down side it seemed to drag on forever and ever before the final bell. Bonnie seemed to be avoiding me, but I was willing to let her process things on her own and see that I was still me. Caroline chattered along as if nothing was wrong and Matt watched me from a distance.

All in all it seemed a little easier to get through the day than the day before and I felt in less danger of collapsing before I got home to my bed. Still, I slept like the dead from the moment my head hit the pillow until well after dark.

When I woke, Damon was sitting in the corner of my room, engrossed in reading my diary.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded, leaping off the bed, but he didn't move a muscle.

"Oh just reading about you making doe eyes at my brother. How can you write this stuff? You're better than this Elena."

I snatched the journal from his hands, clutching it to my chest. "This is not for you to read Damon. Don't you have someone else to torture?" My head was pounding and I was craving water again, a side effect of the drug, I was coming to find.

"Oh come on, you know you're the one I want to torture." He grinned unrepentantly. "I brought you something. A peace offering." He held out a bag of human blood.

I had a feeling it would be a let down after the drink I'd had that morning from him, but I was grateful for it nonetheless. "Thanks." I accepted it, setting it down on the dresser. For the moment all I wanted was some water, and I drank deeply from my sports bottle.

"Want a little hair of the dog?" Damon held up another little vial of the milky drug. "It'll help take the edge off."

"No thanks." I sat down on the edge of the bed, taking another drink of water. I would rather only take the drug when I absolutely needed it; the less dependent I was on it, the better.

"Suit yourself." It disappeared into his pocket again.

"What are you doing here Damon?" I asked a little grumpily.

"Boy, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning." He made an exaggeratedly frowny face at me.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting an invasion of privacy in the first five seconds of waking up." I scowled, knowing I was being bitchy on purpose both from a combination of the drugs working their way out of my system and the head games he'd been playing with me that morning.

"You want me to go? I'll go." Damon rose to his feet with fluid grace, taking a step towards the window, his face drawn tight and I wondered if I'd hurt his feelings.

"Damon wait… I'm sorry." I sighed, laying a hand on his arm as he passed me. "I just wish…"

"For what? Wait, let me guess… a pony?" He waggled his brows at me, and I almost wondered if _he _was on something, his mood seemed so touch and go.

"I wish you would just talk to me about what's going on here, between us. What happened this morning…"

"Was a purely physical reaction Elena." Damon interrupted me. "That's all, you would have felt that for any vampire." Was he convincing me or himself? "I'm sorry, maybe you want to sit around and braid each other's hair and bare our souls but I'm heading out to the city tonight and I thought you might like to tag along. That's all."

"That's all." I repeated, at a loss for this shift in his approach. Would I really have felt those same desires for any other vampire? It was impossible to know without trying it out, but I felt loathe to try something like that with anyone else except maybe… Stefan. But he was nowhere to be found at the moment.

"So come on, you up for a trip to the city or not? Cause, the meter's running." He took another step towards the window.

Operating purely on instinct I nodded, following him to the window instead of offering to meet him outside. "On one condition, I'm driving." A bold ploy on my part, I wasn't sure if he'd go along with it, but he simply raised a single brow and tossed me his keys.

**A/N: I can't wait to take them back to the city, I have something very momentous in mind for them once they get there. And yes, Stefan will be coming back soon, though by then… who knows where things will be between Damon and Elena…**

**If anyone is interested, I've decided to start writing a Vampire Diaries episode recap for this season. (I know, like I need another writing project *facepalms*) It'll be posted on my webpage (a link can be found under "homepage" on my profile page here, it won't let me list the URL here. I've never done one before, but I thought it might be fun, and people can leave comments and discuss what they thought of the episode as well. Mostly I am just reeling over the season premiere episode and need to discuss!**

**Feedback is Love People**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I have to say my plot bunnies are hopping after just one episode of the new season and things are shifting in my plot arc because of them. We'll see where that leads us. **

**I am loving all of the comments on the new season! Shout out to romancerevival who pointed out that perhaps Katherine's quote about hate being the beginning of a love story could be foreshadowing, considering Elena said she hated Damon... We can dream, right? **

"_I wish you would just talk to me about what's going on here, between us. What happened this morning…"_

"_Was a purely physical reaction Elena." Damon interrupted me. "That's all, you would have felt that for any vampire." Was he convincing me or himself? "I'm sorry, maybe you want to sit around and braid each other's hair and bare our souls but I'm heading out to the city tonight and I thought you might like to tag along. That's all."_

"_That's all." I repeated, at a loss for this shift in his approach. Would I really have felt those same desires for any other vampire? It was impossible to know without trying it out, but I felt loathe to try something like that with anyone else except maybe… Stefan. But he was nowhere to be found at the moment. _

"_So come on, you up for a trip to the city or not? Cause, the meter's running." He took another step towards the window. _

_Operating purely on instinct I nodded, following him to the window instead of offering to meet him outside. "On one condition, I'm driving." A bold ploy on my part, I wasn't sure if he'd go along with it, but he simply raised a single brow and tossed me his keys. _

* * *

Damon's car goes very fast.

I hadn't really appreciated it so much before when he was driving, as I didn't pay as much attention to the scenery going by. But under my hands, the muscle car purred like a kitten and with my enhanced senses and reflexes, I soon became bored with the speed limit, and nudged the car faster… and faster…. Even Damon was starting to look nervous after a while.

"Should I be worried that the last car you drove ended up wrapped around a tree?" He muttered, and I noticed his knuckles were standing out whiter even than his pale skin as he clenched his hands into tight fists.

Laughter bubbled forth from me at that. "I never thought I'd live to see the day, Damon Salvatore, afraid of a little bit of speed?" I teased. "Come to think of it, I guess I didn't." I mused aloud; after all, I was technically dead now.

"I happen to enjoy my car and my body in one piece is all. Just because we'd survive a car wreck doesn't mean it wouldn't still hurt like a sonofabitch." He pointed out.

"Good point." I allowed, easing up on the gas just a little. Once we'd gotten to the city, I slowed to regular speed limits, not wanting to get pulled over for anything since I'd left my purse and ID back in my room. Along with that bag of blood he'd offered on my dresser… I wondered what Jenna would think about that if she came to check up on me? I was gonna have to be more careful in the future or Jenna's brain was gonna wind up like oatmeal with all of the adjustments that would need to be made.

Damon directed me to a different bar this time, but I noticed it was about the same size and was drawing the same amount of business. Clearly this was his comfort zone, the kind of place he preferred to operate in, and I could see why. It wasn't a busy techno club where he'd have to elbow his way through the crowd. And it wasn't an upscale place that might have security cameras or someone who might be missed if things went badly. But it wasn't a sleazy dive either where you'd have to worry catching something in the alley outside.

"So, you're ready to do this? Pick out the target all on your own and get her outside?" He smirked and I bristled at the expression, it was like he didn't think I could hack it.

"Yeah, I've got it. I'll bring _him _outside, no problem." I tossed back confidently. "Unless that's a problem for you? Feeding from a man?"

"You think I won't? I've fed from lots of men over the years; I'm an equal opportunity vampire."

"Okay then, I'll see you right over there in a bit." I pointed to the mouth of the alley behind the bar, and got out of the car. Not really sure if he was intending to come into the bar and watch me work or just wait outside, I tried to keep from looking over my shoulder as I approached the bar.

Unfortunately, I hadn't really been planning on going barhopping when we'd left the house, and I was still wearing what I'd worn to school that day. The form fitting jeans and pretty blue top I'd put on that morning wasn't exactly what the vamps were wearing this season I was willing to bet. My eyes scanned the room, looking for a likely prospect.

I spotted a woman who was roughly my size, looking like she was trying to join the Hell's Angels for all the leather she had on. Strolling up to her, I leaned down and looked into her eyes for just a moment, it was that easy and she was following me to the bathroom. Once inside the ladies room, I studied her critically.

The whole outfit put together was hellacious. Leather chaps over ratty jeans, a ripped up t-shirt with a leather vest and a leather jacket over it, leather choker and a leather cap on her head with studs. Obviously not a member of PETA. But parts of it… had potential.

Just a few minutes later I emerged from the bathroom, feeling a helluva lot sexier than the high school student who had entered. Traci, the wannabe biker had been very accommodating, letting me raid her make up bag as well as her outfit. A little bit of water had my slept on hair looking sleek, like I'd just stepped out of a pool. I had ditched the baby blue top in favor of the leather vest which was just a little tight across the chest, but it served my purpose. Paired with my own jeans, her boots and the leather choker at my throat and I was ready to find my first victim. Leaving Traci with my castoffs, I stepped back into the bar, my eyes automatically searching out Damon.

I spotted him sitting alone in a booth and savored the moment he realized it was me and the naked desire I saw in his eyes before his expression became shuttered behind his familiar smirk again. Feeling his eyes on me, I tore my attention from him to scan the bar patrons, settling on a likely prospect.

He reminded me a little of Matt, blonde haired and blue eyed, with a wholesome look about him. For a moment I considered trying to lure him out of the bar just on my own merits, no compulsion involved, but in the end I wasn't confident in my ability to do it as quickly as I had in mind. Putting a little extra sway in my step, I settled onto the empty bar stool beside they guy, smile at the ready.

It was easy, oh so easy to get him to forget about his other plans for the night, and it was a heady feeling knowing I could get him to do _anything_ for me. I could have crooked my finger at him and gotten him to give me everything in his wallet, or the keys to his car, or come into a dark and deserted alley late at night. Conscious of Damon's scrutiny, I leaned closer to him than I had to, touching him liberally on the arm, the chest, the thigh… I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye where Damon was sitting at that last touch, but I didn't want to let on that I was trying to get a rise out of him on purpose.

I wasn't really sure _why_ I was trying to get a reaction out of Damon, maybe it was a way of trying to get him to regret turning me down that morning? In the end I decided to stop playing with my food and slid off the bar stool, my blonde admirer in tow. Taking him straight through the parking lot, I beckoned towards the alley, my eyes full of promise. Taking a page from Damon's example with Cammie, (I wondered how she was doing?) I pressed him up against the wall, my borrowed heels giving me enough height to reach his neck easily.

"Why are we in the alley? I thought we were going to a party?" He asked, looking a little nervous, even as I laid a kiss to the throb of his pulse at his neck.

"This is the party Jerry." I smiled, my hands spreading across his chest. Meeting his eyes again, I exerted another burst of control over him. "You want this don't you?"

"Want this…" He nodded, all trace of worry disappearing from his voice.

That was all I needed to hear, my fangs descending as the sweet siren song of his blood called out to me. He cried out softly as I bit into his neck, arms enfolding around me as his body responded to the pleasure mingled with pain. Much as when I drank from Damon, the desire to touch him swept through me, but it was a pale shadow of what I'd felt that morning. Still, my hands traveled over his body, grasping and stroking even as he touched me in kind, all the while I drank, reveling in the feeling of power.

Dimly I was aware of the fact that Damon had joined us in the alley, but it wasn't enough to take me from my feast. Then I felt his hands on me from behind, knocking Jerry's away and smoothing over my curves. The feel of his lips brushing across the back of my neck brought a low moan from my throat, and I shivered in anticipation. Would he taste me now?

Suddenly he was at my side, our bodies touching as he sank his fangs into Jerry's throat.

The next thing I knew, my hands smoothed up Damon's body, seeking him out instead of the victim's. Damon was touching me in kind, his cool hand splayed across the small of my back, dipping inside the waistband of my jeans…

Then I did break away, a different kind of hunger seizing me. Damon sensed the shift at the same time and turned to meet me in a kiss; the taste of Jerry's blood mingling between us. On and on the kiss went, with Jerry's body pinned to the wall between us as we grappled with each other, consumed by some new kind of desire.

Until Jerry managed to recover from his stupor. "Um, am I interrupting something?" He asked, puzzled at the position he found himself in.

Damon growled, his hand shooting out to grab Jerry's throat to silence him.

I tore my mouth away from his, "Let him go." I gave him a pointed look.

With another dangerous growl, Damon pushed away from us in frustration, pacing agitatedly in the alley.

Jerry coughed, his hand going to his throat and I struggled to pull myself together and finish what I'd started. "You're not feeling so hot Jerry, you should go on home. Get some rest, maybe stay home from work tomorrow, but then you'll start to feel better, okay?"

"Okay." His shoulders slumped a little at the suggestion of feeling ill, but then he slouched off out of the alley way.

Immediately Damon pressed me against the wall, his mouth and hands all over me.

"Damon…" I protested, doing my best not to get swept up in the same carnal fire.

"Elena please…" There was ragged need in his voice as he kept up his tender assault.

"Not here." I managed to get out.

Surprise caught him, and I leaned up to kiss him again. Showing him that I was not rejecting him, not now. Just not… there.

"Where then?" He asked; his voice hoarse.

"You tell me, these are your stomping grounds."

A smile curved his lips, "I know just the place."

Grabbing my hand, he whisked me out of the alley, completely bypassing the car in favor of the faster mode of transportation, only slowing as we approached the Arimitage Hotel. I was impressed by the luxury of the lobby, never having stayed in any place so nice.

Cool as you please, Damon strode up to the desk clerk and got us a room, not blinking an eye when he heard the total and not a hint of embarrassment as he declared that we had no luggage to be brought up.

In just a few minutes we had a room key in hand and Damon was tugging me towards the elevators, his heated glance making me wonder if we would make it all the way to the room before he started kissing me again.

I didn't have to wait long before I had my answer. As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, I was in his arms, kissing him back as the fire sprang up between us again.

The doors opened to our floor and we stumbled out of the elevator, giggling as my heel got caught on the lace of his shoes.

"Katherine?"

Damon's head came up sharply at the voice that belonged to a man in his late twenties wearing a sleek gray suit, sporting a blonde faux hawk. No… not a man… a vampire.

*** back from commercial ***

Damon instantly moved to stand in front of me protectively. "I think you have her mistaken for someone else."

"Who is this loser? Katherine, what happened to you? I thought you were planning on coming back to New York with us?" The vamp tried to side step Damon, unconcerned with the tension in his stance.

"I'm not Katherine." I replied. Wasn't Katherine dead?

"Katherine's been gone for a long time, friend. I suggest you move on."

The vamp's face grew into a mask of confusion. "What are you talking about? I just saw her two months ago in D.C."

A change came over Damon lighting fast, and he launched himself away from me, slamming the other man against the wall. "Where is she?"

"Hey, I don't know man." He squeaked in surprise. "She comes and goes all the time. It's not like she ran her itinerary by me. Like I said she was supposed to meet up with us in New York but she never showed."

"But you just saw her two months ago?" Damon demanded, his hand squeezing threateningly against his windpipe.

"Yeah." He croaked.

Damon released him, a stunned look on his face. The other vampire backed away, giving us both a strange look before taking off down the corridor for the exit to the stairs.

"Damon? What's going on?" I asked, approaching him hesitantly. "I thought Katherine was dead?"

It was like watching the man crumble and fall apart from the inside out, Damon fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around my middle, he clung to me; his shoulders shaking as he wept openly. My hands went to his hair, holding him close as the storm of emotion swept through him. "She was never there…" He whispered over and over again until he lost all words.

**A/N: Aw… poor Damon. ****What did you guys think? Thoughts? Ideas? Emotional outbursts? Too soon for the stuff in the alley? Ready to have my head at interrupting them on the way to the hotel? It'll be for the best, trust me. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**So wow yeah. **

**I'm getting that you guys are pretty ticked off at how I had Damon and Elena interrupted after stepping off the elevator. Now if you've been following me for a while you know that I'm not always a hearts and flowers kind of writer and I like little plot twists, but I always come through with the Delena in the end, no? Okay, here you go but remember… be careful what you wish for… **

"_But you just saw her two months ago?" Damon demanded, his hand squeezing threateningly against his windpipe._

"_Yeah." He croaked. _

_Damon released him, a stunned look on his face. The other vampire backed away, giving us both a strange look before taking off down the corridor for the exit to the stairs. _

"_Damon? What's going on?" I asked, approaching him hesitantly. "I thought Katherine was dead?"_

_It was like watching the man crumble and fall apart from the inside out, Damon fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around my middle, he clung to me; his shoulders shaking as he wept openly. My hands went to his hair, holding him close as the storm of emotion swept through him. "She was never there…" He whispered over and over again until he lost all words. _

* * *

Somehow I got him into the hotel room, and he went straight for the mini bar, pouring himself a double and downing it like it was water.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" I said carefully, he was already volatile enough without alcohol adding to his bad judgment.

His only response was to refill the glass with a tiny bottle and reach for another.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm not really in the mood for sharing time, thanks." Damon made no effort to hide the bitterness in his voice, gulping another swallow of the liquor and I could smell its bite in the air.

"Maybe this is good news? If she didn't die then maybe you can find her?" I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but it seemed important to give him that bit of hope. Back in those days all I knew about Katherine was that she had sired both the Salvatore brothers and loved both before she was killed by the townsfolk. If I knew then what I know now, I never would have suggested he watste a single second on trying to find her.

The glass was emptied again and refilled mechanically and he still refused to look at me. Maybe I reminded him of Katherine too much in that moment? "Oh come on Elena. I think it's pretty obvious she doesn't want to be found; otherwise she would have contacted me a long time ago." His jaw twitched as he said this, and Damon gripped the glass so hard, that it shattered in his hand.

"Jesus Damon…" I was instantly at his side, washcloth in hand as the blood started to drip from his cut hand.

"Leave it." He pulled his hand from mine but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily. Using my own vampire speed and strength I caught his arm and forced his hand open again to survey the damage. Sure he was strong enough to pull away again if he wanted to, but this time he let me take a look at it. There were several large pieces of glass embedded in his flesh as well as a myriad of smaller shards. The scent of his blood filled my senses, but I did my best to clamp down on the wave of desire it sparked within me.

"Hold still." I ordered, swallowing as I picked out the biggest chunk of glass and tossed it in the garbage. For the next quarter of an hour I tended to his hand, meticulously pulling out each tiny piece with the tips of my fingernails. Damon stood there, an inscrutable expression on his face; he never even winced when I dug deep.

"There, I think I got the worst of it." His wounds were already starting to knit together and I placed a soft kiss to the center of his palm, licking my lips as I came away with just a taste of his blood.

Damon didn't even look at me, he simply flexed his hand open and closed and then moved past me without a word of thanks. He sank into a stupor, sitting on the edge of the bed, unresponsive to my words or touch. Eventually he let me pull him to a more comfortable position on the bed and cover him with a light blanket. I wasn't sure what else to do for him in that state and I almost even considered calling Stefan to let him know what had happened and ask him what to do now.

I paced agitatedly in the room, unsure what to do in the face of a despondent Damon. He paid me no mind, his eyes open and unseeing. Finally, having worn myself out, I slipped onto the bed beside him, switching off the lights to try and get some rest. Part of me was afraid to fall asleep for fear I'd wake to find him gone.

The next thing I knew it was some time later, and Damon was pulling me into his arms, his face pressing into the crook of my neck. "Why did you have to leave me? I would have done anything for you." He said miserably.

"What?" I gasped in the darkness.

"I didn't care that you wanted to play with Stefan too, I saw it for what it was. I didn't even mind about your games. I wanted this; I wanted to share everything with you." He continued to hold me tight, but I came to realize it was Katherine he was talking to, not me. His voice was just a little slurred, from alcohol or sleep I wasn't sure.

"Damon, this isn't real. I'm not her." I said softly, gently stroking his hair and cradling him to me.

"It was real for me you know." He sighed, and I felt him start to relax under my gentle touch.

"Shhh, I know it was." I whispered, wondering at the emotion I heard in his voice. It called to mind the rough need I'd heard in his voice in the alley, but I didn't think he cared for me nearly as deeply as he cared for this Katherine. With a pang I realized that I was a little jealous of the place she held in his heart; a place I could never hope to occupy as long as he kept those walls up. In that moment I made up my mind that if I ever came face to face with her I'd give her a piece of my mind for damaging him like this.

That was the first night I ever spent in bed with Damon Salvatore. Well the first night I could remember; there had been that one day when I'd woken up in his bed, but that hardly counted in the near comatose state I found myself in during the daylight hours. Eventually I drifted off to sleep, still holding him. It was still an hour or so from dawn when I next awoke and realized that Damon was lying beside me watching me sleep.

"You look so much like her." He said softly when he noticed I was awake.

He seemed calmer now but just as deep into his own thoughts. "What was she like?" I hardly expected him to answer me but to my surprise he did.

"Beautiful. That goes without saying." A smile touched my lips at the compliment I felt he was directing at me. "But cold, heartless. I could never tell what she was thinking. She was always two steps in front of me, dancing just out of reach. I always thought if I could just catch up to her… but hell, even when she let me catch her, I never really possessed her."

"Is that what you wanted? To possess her?"

Damon was silent for a few moment; searching for the right words. "I needed to, she was in my blood, and mine was in hers. It drove me crazy to see her play her fucked up games, playing me against Stefan but I always took her back. See I was convinced that she was just fucking with him, it was me she really wanted."

I was silent, but I reached up to sift my fingers through his hair as I had the night before. It was unfathomable to me to think of someone deliberately pitting the brothers against each other. As it was, I was already consumed with guilt about my waning feelings for Stefan and my growing attraction for Damon.

"You know I had almost found a way to get into that tomb? Here I was, planning and scheming to get in there and free her." He gave a disgusted shake of the head. "What a joke that would have been on me, huh? Go through all that effort for nothing? I guess I'm glad I found out like this, in a small way it makes me less of a chump." He added bitterly, and I could see the anger start to reclaim him.

"Don't, don't do that." My fingers gave up their purchase in his hair and slid down to his chin, tilting his face towards mine. "It's okay to have feelings Damon, you loved her; of course this hurts."

"I'm tired of hurting." Damon said coldly, the emotion draining from his voice. He was slipping away from me, reverting to whatever corner of his mind he felt safe in and it killed me to see those walls come up again, twice as thick.

"Damon…"

"Save it. So she's alive, BFD. Who needs the bitch?" He pulled away from my touch, rolling away to sit up on the edge of the bed, facing the wall.

I didn't understand how he could sound so devoid of feeling after expending such raw emotion, but it scared the hell out of me. It reminded me of how he'd acted when I'd first met him; cold, ruthless and utterly unpredictable.

Scooting to sit next to him, I laid a gentle hand to his shoulder. "Damon, don't pull away from me; I'd like to help you if I can."

"Yeah? I don't need your pity, Elena." He snorted.

"It's not pity." I grumbled, scrambling to my feet and standing in front of him to get him to look at me. Okay so there was a little bit of pity involved, but there was more to it than that.

"What you're gonna save me from myself?" Damon quirked a brow. "I don't need saving Elena, I'm just fine. Better than fine actually, better than I have been in a long time."

_Uh oh…_ I didn't like the sound of that. "Damn it Damon, why do you have to be so difficult?" I demanded.

Damon just laughed derisively. "Aw, is the intervention not going as you had planned? Sorry to disappoint you sweetcheeks, but my days of following you around like a puppy are over and done with."

"Don't punish me just because I look like her." I returned, "I know she hurt you, but that doesn't mean you have to pull away from me too."

"I forgot, that's your specialty." He said cruelly. "Isn't that right, Elena? Sure you'll toss me a bone when you're feeling bored or lonely, but the moment Stefan crooks his finger you'll always come running."

"Is that what you think this is?" I gasped, truly hurt that he thought that was how I felt about him. Maybe I hadn't really had time to sit down with myself and figure out just what my feelings were for Damon, but I knew enough to know that I wanted to be there with him. Otherwise I never would have agreed to come up to the hotel with him, and it had nothing to do with boredom or loneliness.

"Just face it, you're a tease Elena. Admit it. You like to get me all torqued up just to prove you can but you never intended to soil yourself with me."

That was it, I was done. "You're an idiot you know that?" I wasn't going to stand there and defend my reasons for being there with him, I'd never been anything but real with him; he was the one who liked to play games. Spinning on my heel, I turned away from him and stalked to the door, half expecting him to call me back at any moment.

But he didn't.

And when that call didn't come, my hand hovered over the door handle wondering why not? It came to me then; Damon was pushing me away deliberately. Why, I could only guess, but the real question was; was I going to let him get away with it?

It would certainly simple up my life to go on home and leave him to sulk there in the dark all alone. It would be light before too long and I had to get back home in time for school anyway, the last thing I needed was to stay there and bear the brunt of his insults while he nursed his bruised ego. It would be the simplest thing in the world to pull that door open and go back to the car; I still had his keys in my pocket. My hand tightened on the door handle.

I turned around and went back to him, standing in front of him while he stared back at me with that infuriating smirk on his face like he was waiting for me to read him the riot act. Instead my hands reached out to hold either side of his face. Slowly, giving him plenty of time to pull away if that's what he wanted to do, I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Damon's lips parted with a gasp of surprise, but he didn't resist. Maybe he was in shock. I know I was a little shocked at my boldness. This kiss was nothing like the fevered making out in the alley or in the elevator. It was slow and tender, at least on my part. Still, it felt like Damon was holding back a little; kissing me with his mouth but not really into it and I began to worry that I'd made a mistake. Maybe I couldn't reach him? Maybe he didn't want me anymore because of how I reminded him of her?

But then his arms wrapped around me, binding me to him; and I felt him come to life in my embrace. Effortlessly he pulled me back onto the bed with him and rolled, pinning me under his body. All at once I felt that familiar fire spring up between us again and our limbs tangled together as we fumbled to remove each other's clothes. Then there was nothing between us and I shifted beneath him to accept his welcome weight, hands guiding him urgently to let him know I was ready.

The room was filled with our soft cries of pleasure as we moved together, each kiss and stroke on my overly sensitized body carrying me that much closer to release. I don't know if it was because of our blood connection or hell, maybe Damon was just incredibly intuitive, but it felt like I had only to wish for something and he was doing it. There was no awkwardness that came from a first time together. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better and suddenly it was... He was working me into a frenzy and my teeth scraped at his shoulder to keep from shouting with pleasure.

"Do it." Damon panted, his body covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

I knew what he wanted because I wanted it too. My fangs sank into his neck and our moans of pleasure melded together as I drank. Once again I was overwhelmed by the intoxicating taste of him, only this time it was coupled with the feel of him moving and surging within me; it was almost more than I could bear.

And then he bit me in kind, and my world exploded in a shower of sparks as I reached a place I never knew existed. On and on it went and for the space of long heartbeats I could feel his pleasure mingled with mine. We were wrapped together, joined body and soul and I never wanted it to end.

Gradually though the sharp pleasure subsided, and my senses returned enough to realize that Damon had stopped drinking from me, but still lazily lapped at the wound. I did the same, glad to see the puncture wounds begin to heal quickly. My body felt alive and tingly and very, very satisfied and I could see from the expression on his face that he felt the same way.

"Damon…" I sighed happily, reaching up to push the hair back from his brow. God he was beautiful.

"Katherine…" Damon murmured, nuzzling at my neck.

I froze, unable to believe my ears. From the stricken expression on his face, I could tell he had instantly realized what he'd said. With a vicious shove, I pushed him off of me, scrambling to find my clothes and pull them on. How could I be such an idiot? Of course he wanted it to be her. It had always been her.

"Elena wait…" He sat up, a guilty look on his face.

I didn't want to hear it; I didn't want to hear anything. The blood was pounding in my ears and I knew that if I didn't get out of there that instant I might really lose it. Literally shaking with anger and shame, I dressed in record time, and was out the door in record time.

"Shit, Elena I'm sorry, I…" With my vampire hearing, his words reached me as the door clicked shut, but I didn't so much as spare him a backwards glance. I had never felt such humiliation, such misery, such pain… it reached my very core and I was glad my body didn't need oxygen to survive because my lungs hurt and it was hard to draw in a breath as I stepped into the elevator. The same elevator that he'd kissed me so passionately in. I didn't think I could bear it a moment longer.

And then the most curious thing happened.

In an instant the pain and misery faded away, so suddenly that I almost doubted it had ever been there. I noted the phenomenon with idle curiosity and little else. It didn't seem worth dwelling on for any longer and my mind switched gears, patting my pocket to make sure I still had Damon's keys. It was gonna have to be a fast drive back to Mystic Falls to get back in time for school.

**A/N: I'm pretty sure no one has had the talk with Elena that explains how easily emotion can be switched off, so that was the assumption I was operating under. **

**Okay, let me suit up here… there we go, got my armor on now. Go ahead, tell me how much you hate what I just did there. But I couldn't resist the urge to explore what happens when Elena flips off the switch to her emotions and what will be the catalyst to bring them back… **

**For the record, in my mind Damon was **_**not**_** thinking she was Katherine that entire time. It was just a really awful slip of the tongue after having her on his mind so recently. So he is beating himself up about that big time. Of course Elena doesn't know that! More fun drama to ensue! **

**Feedback is Love People**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Wow I am overwhelmed with all of the supportive reviews I got! I am so glad you guys are being open minded about the curve ball I threw in the last chapter and are up for the ride. **

**I want to add that just because Elena's lost her emotions doesn't mean I have any intention of turning her into Katherine. Elena is nothing like Katherine so it doesn't stand to reason that she'll suddenly turn evil. But I promise to try and keep things interesting.**

**Okay I wrote the above before watching this past week's episode… now I'm not so sure! How mean was she to Damon? It's almost painful to write them on the outs this week given how far apart they are on the show, so we'll see if this influences how long I'll keep them apart. Sorry it was so long between updates, work is kicking my ass lately and I haven't gotten any writing done. But enough chatter, here's the goods…**

"_Elena wait…" He sat up, a guilty look on his face. _

_I didn't want to hear it; I didn't want to hear anything. The blood was pounding in my ears and I knew that if I didn't get out of there that instant I might really lose it. Literally shaking with anger and shame, I dressed in record time, and was out the door in record time. _

"_Shit, Elena I'm sorry, I…" With my vampire hearing, his words reached me as the door clicked shut, but I didn't so much as spare him a backwards glance. I had never felt such humiliation, such misery, such pain… it reached my very core and I was glad my body didn't need oxygen to survive because my lungs hurt and it was hard to draw in a breath as I stepped into the elevator. The same elevator that he'd kissed me so passionately in. I didn't think I could bear it a moment longer._

_And then the most curious thing happened._

_In an instant the pain and misery faded away, so suddenly that I almost doubted it had ever been there. I noted the phenomenon with idle curiosity and little else. It didn't seem worth dwelling on for any longer and my mind switched gears, patting my pocket to make sure I still had Damon's keys. It was gonna have to be a fast drive back to Mystic Falls to get back in time for school. _

* * *

I was halfway to school when I remembered that I didn't have any of Damon's magic potion that would keep me up all day. While I called it that in my mind, I was pretty sure it was just some kind of drug, but magic potion sounds a little easier to swallow, don't you think?

Still wearing the jeans with the borrowed leather vest and boots, it was a far cry from my usual school attire but I just didn't care. In fact, there was precious little I was caring about that morning. In all likelihood I would end up passing out into a deathlike sleep at least by mid-morning, but it was easy to just shrug it away and figure I'd find an empty supply closet to curl up in. Why I was even still going to school, was something I didn't stop to dwell on; in many ways I was operating on auto pilot. Going through the motions.

There were more than a few eyes on me as I walked through the halls in my getup, but I didn't care. Let them stare. I was tired of trying to fit in, conform to what everyone else was wearing and doing and talking about. If I wanted to dress sexy, damn it I would. In fact, I almost hoped someone would call me out on the dress code and send me to the principal's office. I was spoiling for a confrontation with someone, it didn't matter about what.

Luckily for me, the first person to approach me was Caroline, and her reaction was approving, maybe laced with a little bit of envy. "My mom would never let me out of the house dressed like that. You're so lucky Elena."

Typical Caroline, blundering into what she thought was a compliment. Was I so lucky I didn't have a mom to censor my clothing? Before I might have been touched with sadness at her thoughtless comment, but that day I took it in the spirit it was intended. "It's pretty hot right?" I grinned. "You should have seen Damon's face when he first saw me in it." Where had that thought come from?

"You saw Damon, like this morning before school?" Her eyes widened in surprise and I had to remember that she had some kind of falling out with him. I was fuzzy on the details of the breakup, how much he had compelled her to forget.

"No, last night." I gave her a wicked grin, not caring about spoiling my reputation. She stared back at me, and I thought I might have actually made her speechless. Score one point for me. The warning bell went off then and I headed off to class.

So far I was feeling tired, but not nearly as wiped out as I had the other mornings. Maybe it had something to do with having more of Damon's blood the night before? He was older and powerful, and had no trouble at all walking around in the daytime. Though it seemed like a fat chance I'd be drinking more of his blood anytime soon. It didn't hurt to think about him like I thought it would, but I didn't care enough to think about why that might be.

Instead I tried to focus on school. Bo-ring. Somewhere through the second class of the day I started to really wonder what the hell I was doing there? Nobody was interested in what the teacher was talking about, not even the teacher. We were ALL just going through the motions. Waiting for the bell to ring so we could get back to interacting with our friends; the real draw for coming to school. Especially now when my brain operated so much quicker than it used to, class dragged on painfully slow.

By the time the bell rang I was considering taking off and heading for home when I spotted Matt hanging out by my locker. Instead of feeling the dread and guilt I'd come to expect, I was remarkably calm at seeing him, so I fixed him with a sunny smile. That seemed to surprise him and he looked a little unsure of himself. "Hey Matt, how's it going?"

"Hey Elena. That's a… you look…" He swallowed.

"You like it?" I gave a slow spin, letting him really get a good look at the way the outfit hugged my curves.

"I… well yeah, I mean it's different." Matt nodded, and I remembered his little speech the other day by the stairs. If I wanted a little mid-morning bite to eat, he was the perfect candidate.

I licked my lips. Sure I'd fed the night before, but it was hard to resist the lure of a willing, warm blooded snack. "You want to maybe blow off class? Go somewhere and… talk?"

It didn't take him long at all to decide between me and doing the right thing, and he nodded again, falling into step beside me. And I hadn't even had to compel him! It was almost too easy…

"Elena!"

I heard Bonnie's stern voice from behind us and I turned on my heel, not even bothering to hide my annoyance at the interruption. "I'll catch up with you later, Bon. Okay?" I dug deep to produce a facsimile of my usual smile.

"Where are you guys going?" She asked; her eyes intent and suspicious.

"We were just going to talk for a minute." Matt supplied, looking a little guilty and I wondered if he had ever ditched class in his life? He was such a goody two shoes.

Bonnie fixed me with a pointed look. "A talk, huh?"

"What?" I shrugged innocently, but she wasn't having any of it. "Oh fine then, have it your way." I muttered in irritation, leaving Matt standing there looking confused as I headed to class.

Bonnie chased after me, not her brightest moment. "Elena what is going on with you?" She hissed. "I thought you said you were still you? This…" She gestured to my outfit, "…isn't you."

"They're just clothes, Bonnie, don't have a cow." I sighed, feeling a little more tired in that moment.

"Oh yeah? So tell me you weren't about to just use Matt like juicebox and I'll drop it." She quirked a brow.

"I was just gonna take a little." I pouted.

"I can not even believe you just said that to me."

Since when was she the boss of me? My indignation rose in direct proportion to her disapproval and I took a threatening step towards her. "Hey, I'm in control of my own actions okay? Not you. So back off."

Her lips compressed into a thin line. "Keep this up, harm anyone and I _will_ find a way to stop you." The ultimatum was given.

Laughter bubbled lightly to my lips at the intensity in her face. _She_ was threatening _me_? Boy, a couple of flickers of power and now she was having delusions of grandeur. "I'd like to see you try." With a flip of my hair, I moved on, unconcerned with what she could possibly do against me.

God I can be stupid sometimes.

The conversation was forgotten almost immediately as I struggled to keep awake in my next few classes. I was just starting to think about curling up for a little nap, maybe even in the back of Damon's car which was parked out in the school parking lot when I heard my name. "Huh?" I looked up and realized that Mr. Saltzman was staring right at me; the rest of the class filing towards the door.

"Elena, can I have a word with you?"

Super. "Yeah, sure, why not." I sighed tiredly, picking up my books and moving to his desk to wait expectantly. The look on my face made it clear that I had better things to do, but the last thing I was worried about was making a good impression on the guy, teacher or not.

"I couldn't help but notice that you seem a little… distracted in my class. I was wondering if there was anything you wanted to talk about?" He gave one of those paternal looking smiles.

"Not especially." I gave him a tight lipped smile in return and took a step towards the door but he moved to block my exit. Annoyance crossed over my features and I met his eyes again. "You're in my way."

"Elena, there's something going on with you, I can tell. I'd like to help you, if you'll let me."

"You can start by backing up then and getting out of my way." I let a touch of menace into my voice, not caring if it was perhaps not the smartest thing to do, getting confrontational at school. To my surprise he held his ground, meeting my challenge.

"I know what you are." He said in a low voice.

My eyes widened in shock, how could he possibly know? Especially with me walking around during the day? But then I eased, he hadn't actually said the word vampire. He probably just thought I had a drug problem or something. "Yeah? So what am I then?"

His eyes darted to the busy hallway but we were virtually alone for the moment. "You're a vampire."

There it was; the magic word. But my mind swiftly ran through the permutations of his having this knowledge. "Yeah so big deal, you know? What are you gonna do about it? No one's gonna believe you." I smirked.

"I'd like to help you." He repeated, and I wondered why in the hell he kept coming back to that point? What did he care if I was a vampire? And what exactly did he think I needed help with?

"Yeah, help me to a stake through the heart." I muttered. "Look, I'll do us both a favor okay? This school thing is turning into a bad idea, so I'll just get out of your hair and you get out of mine." I moved to step around him, but he again tried to block my path. "You're really pushing it, you know that?" I growled.

"You can't hurt me here, there are too many witnesses."

"Yeah but this is a small town, I can always find out where you live. I'm thinking the office would be real helpful if I asked them the right way." I smiled back at him. Besides, I didn't have to assault him to hurt him. Putting on my best distressed female look, I called out loud enough to reach the people passing by, "Mr. Saltzman, please stop touching me, I don't want to do that! Please, just let me go and I won't say anything to anyone! I swear!" There, let him try to explain that one…

His face was a mask of shock and dismay and I allowed myself a private smile before I ran out of there, doing my imitation of emotionally fragile Elena, when really inside I was feeling powerful and strong. Okay so he knew about me? It was clear he didn't want to hurt me, so why worry about him?

I was so over the whole high school thing though, and kept going until I reached the parking lot. Damon's car was still waiting for me and I smiled, thinking I just might hang onto the car. He could get another one; Damon owed me that at least, didn't he?

Sinking into the driver's seat, I paused to think about Damon as my hands slid over the wheel. The feel of his hands on me, the passion we'd shared… I could remember it all, but I couldn't _feel_ the way he'd made me feel anymore. It was like reading about it in a book or watching a movie; I had no personal connection to the emotion any more. By that same token I couldn't remember what it had felt like when he'd called me Katherine.

Sure, I was still annoyed that he'd made that slip, but it was easier to accept now and let it go. I wasn't mad as hell anymore, but I also didn't have any particular desire to see him again either. Maybe I was just tired? It was a short trip back to the house in the powerful car and I was looking forward to the comfort of my bed as I trudged up the steps.

Just inside, I heard Jenna on the phone and immediately headed for the stairs, not wanting to deal with her.

"Elena!"

No such luck. Stopping midway up the stairs, I turned and headed back down as Jenna approached, her face a mask of worry. "Yeah?" I yawned.

"Your school just called, they said there was some kind of incident between you and Mr. Saltzman. Are you okay?"

Oh yeah, that. "Yeah I'm fine, it was nothing, really." I turned to go back up the stairs.

"Elena, I'm still talking to you." Jenna chided me and I paused. "What happened? They said there were reports that he was touching you."

I could tell she was pretty worked up over it, but I was too tired to care. "It was just a misunderstanding Jenna, really. I'm just super tired; can we talk about it later?"

"No we can't talk about it later, Elena. I've got to go down to the school and have a conference with your principal and the teacher, this is serious business! Now why would you say that he touched you if he didn't then?"

Ugh, this was turning into a pain in the ass. "Jenna, I'm going to bed. Go ask Mr. Saltzman what happened if you're so worried about it." Oh wait, potentially a bad idea... what if he told her I was a vampire? "On second thought…" I turned and focused on Jenna, exerting my power over her. "It was a misunderstanding, I told you all about it. I never said he touched me; he was worried because I've been so tired lately. I've been sick, haven't I Jenna?"

"Sick." She nodded; her eyes blank and unseeing. "You sleep all the time now."

"Yes, that's right. You're pretty sure I have mono. In fact, I'm going to see a specialist in the city this afternoon. I'll probably end up missing a couple of months of school, won't I?" That should take care of school for the time being at least.

"Mono… I've been so worried about you." Jenna nodded again.

"Very good Jenna. Mr. Saltzman means well, but you won't listen to anything he has to say, just smile and nod because you have it all under control. Do you understand?"

"All under control."

"In fact, things are just fine here. It's totally normal for me to sleep during the day and be up at night. You don't have to worry about me any more."

"Just fine." Now she smiled and I smiled back, pleased with how my little rearranging had gone. I might be new to the compelling business, but Damon's blood had made me stronger, and I felt reasonably sure my compulsion would hold.

"Great. I'm off to bed now. Have a good meeting with the principle."

"Okay honey. Have a good sleep." Jenna smiled brightly and I continued on upstairs, deciding I had enough strength in me to take a hot shower before I tumbled into bed. It was worth it to remove the last traces of Damon's scent on me.

* * *

The house was quiet and dark when I awoke and I spared a brief thought to wonder where Jenna and Jeremy had wandered off to, but the truth was I preferred being alone. I was feeling a little peckish, but I realized right off the bat that the blood bag Damon had brought me the day before had spoiled for sitting on my dresser for twenty-four hours.

Before too long I'd have to go out hunting on my own and the thought filled with a combination of dread and anticipation. I'd come to associate feeding with Damon now and it felt strange to be contemplating it on my own. But I was strong enough to manage it, I was confident of that. So why did I feel a brief pang that Damon wouldn't be by my side? Just as quickly as I'd felt it, it was gone and I couldn't remember why I'd even had any doubts. It was better this way to be on my own.

The doorbell rang and I went down to answer it, still wearing my brief tank top and sleep pants.

"Hello Elena." Stefan smiled warmly, immediately moving to take me into his embrace.

It took me a couple of seconds to recover from the shock of seeing him there, but I pushed him away, annoyed with his assumption that I was his to paw at. "Stefan… when did you get back?"

"Just now. I came straight over of course." He was looking at me strangely, and I wondered if my hair was sticking up funny from sleep or something.

"So… did you get the ring?" I asked, my eyes alight with anticipation.

"No, but I have a line on…"

"Well scamper off then, come back when you've got something." I started to push him backwards through the door.

"Elena wait…"

Ugh… "Fine." I walked away from the door, allowing him to enter if he decided to.

"What's the matter with you?" He had that wounded puppy dog look on his face again and I wasn't finding it the slightest bit cute or endearing at the moment.

"Nothing, it's just that you didn't pull through for me." What else was there to say? My eyes dropped to his ring on my finger, twisting it. "You're probably expecting me to give this back now aren't you?"

"Well… it would be easier for me to do what I need to…"

"But you could manage on your own without it, right?" I pressed, pouncing on his hesitation.

"Ah… yeah, I guess I could." His brows drew together into a single dark line.

"Good then it's all settled. Come back and see me when you get the ring, okay?" I said dismissively, moving back to the door.

He looked at me good and hard then, much closer than I would have liked and I started to actually feel uncomfortable. "Elena, what happened to you?" Stefan asked, reaching up to cup the side of my face tenderly. His voice throbbed with emotion, hurt warring with concern.

I felt nothing. Reaching up, I pulled his hand away from my cheek and pressed against his chest, pushing him backwards out the door. "Ask your brother."

**A/N: Okay how did I do? It's hard to find that balance between making her emotionless and actually mean. Am I getting it right? She was pretty cold there with Stefan but not deliberately cozying up to him to get what she wanted like I think Katherine would be. More to come with Stefan and Damon soon, and we'll find out what Stefan's been up to while he was gone. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Okay I'm breaking my own rule here. I've been writing this story entirely from Elena's 1****st**** person POV, but the possibilities of a scene between Stefan and Damon are way too intriguing to gloss over. So just for this chapter I'll lapse back into 3****rd**** person POV for a bit so we can get a peek into how that conversation's gonna go. Sound good? **

"_Good then it's all settled. Come back and see me when you get the ring, okay?" I said dismissively, moving back to the door._

_He looked at me good and hard then, much closer than I would have liked and I started to actually feel uncomfortable. "Elena, what happened to you?" Stefan asked, reaching up to cup the side of my face tenderly. His voice throbbed with emotion, hurt warring with concern._

_I felt nothing. Reaching up, I pulled his hand away from my cheek and pressed against his chest, pushing him backwards out the door. "Ask your brother."_

_

* * *

_

Damon heard it the moment his brother returned to the boarding house. With any luck he'd only be stopping by for a change of clothes and then he'd be off again to chase after Elena. The less he saw of him the better. The less tempted he'd be to do something stupid; something else to add to the catalogue of his sins.

He brought the bottle to his lips and took another deep pull, vaguely annoyed as he noticed the diminishing level in the bottle. For long hours he'd sat alone in the house, working his way through the good stuff at first but finally graduating from crystal decanters and elegantly cut glasses to whatever he could find. He'd run out of ice hours ago and hadn't cared enough to budge from his seat except to forage for another bottle.

Even though he was pleasantly numb now, his mistakes still returned to haunt him; hovering there to mock and tease, so that he was compelled to drink even more to keep them at bay. As night had fallen, Damon hadn't bothered to turn on the lights, content to dwell in gloomy darkness that matched his mood. The mood that soured as he recognized Stefan's footfalls carrying him to Damon's room. _Just what he needed…_

His door burst open and Stefan halted just inside, as though he was confused. Damon knew he could see just was well as he could in the dim room, so it must be something else bringing him up short. "What, you don't even knock anymore? Miss Manners would be appalled." He brought the bottle to his mouth for another swig.

Stefan took hesitant steps into the room, noting the heavy scent of alcohol in the air and his brother's dark figure in the chair, looking like he was well on his way to passing out. All around Damon were crumpled up pieces of paper on the floor. "What happened while I was gone?" He asked; voice soft in the quiet room.

"While the mouse is away the cats will play." Damon giggled, cracking himself up over the stupid joke. Stefan was definitely more mouse than cat by his definition.

"I just came from Elena's house…"

"You did?" Damon perked up to hear that, sitting up in the chair. "How was she?" Oh he was a glutton for punishment, but he couldn't help but ask. He could just imagine the story she'd spun for Stefan.

"She's… not herself." Stefan said carefully. "Just what happened between you two?"

Damon leaned back in the chair, making a steeple with his fingers; he brought them to his lips as he pondered his reply. He had the ability to crush his brother's spirit in his hot little hand with what had happened between him and Elena. It was all he'd been working for since he'd come to town, and now here it was, practically gift wrapped.

He'd slept with his brother's girl. There wasn't much worse he could do to hurt Stefan except maybe physically hurting Elena, which he'd never really considered as a viable option. She was an innocent… though there hadn't been much innocence about her when she'd tumbled into his bed, had there? Lost in that memory for a moment, Damon's eyes squinched shut before he got to his slip of the tongue and the pain in her eyes. He couldn't bear to bring her more pain now. For that reason alone he left the bomb buried without detonating it.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know." Damon replied miserably hanging his head in his hands. .

Not quite sure how to take his reply, Stefan's eyes darkened, his voice lowering menacingly. "I swear to god if you hurt her…"

Damon looked up at the threat, his eyes filled with bitterness. "You'll what? Nothing you can do to me is worse than what I've been through in the past twenty four hours."

Stefan threw up his hands in exasperation. "I thought I could trust you to keep an eye out for her. I thought that just maybe this thing between us could be set aside long enough to make sure she stayed safe and whole. I thought you could…"

"Well who the hell told you to do that?" Damon demanded, seizing the bottle and throwing it across the room with a satisfying crash. "What made you think that you could possibly rely on me? I'm unstable remember? Completely self serving. I don't give a damn about anyone but myself. How could you leave her like that? If she was mine…" He swallowed, unable to complete that sentence, because for one brief shining moment she had been his. Completely his. And he'd fucked it up beyond all possible salvation. She'd probably been crying her eyes out to Stefan about the big bad Damon ever since he'd gotten home.

"What are you even doing here? Why aren't you comforting her? Isn't that what you do best?" Damon slumped in the chair again. Now that his brother was home, he fully expected Elena never to look at him again. Why would she? He bet that saint Stefan would never call her by the wrong name after sharing something like that.

Stefan bristled. "She… asked me to leave."

"She did?" Damon's head came up at that. "What did_ you_ do to her?"

"I failed her." Stefan admitted stiffly.

"Shut the front door… you?" He blinked, his mind too fogged with alcohol to process what that might mean for him.

"I didn't come through with the ring, she wasn't too happy about that." Stefan rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Understanding dawned on Damon. "Oh right, the ring. What else did she say?" Starving for any news of her, he waited for his brother to dole out any leftover crumbs for some sign of what Elena was feeling towards him now.

"She said… I should ask you what's wrong with her."

"Ah."

Stefan waited expectantly, but when it became clear that Damon wasn't going to elaborate he prompted him further. "So, what went on between you two while I was gone?"

"Trust me Stef, you don't want to know. I wish I could forget it all myself." Damon lurched to his feet and staggered over to the bed, flopping down on it, face down. It was true. As unbelievably awesome (because he truly was filled with awe that she'd given herself to him) as their night had been together, it would torture him forever to be deprived of her now. It was like giving a starving man a taste of a gourmet meal and then chaining him to the wall to watch someone else sample the buffet.

Damon truly didn't think he could stand to see Elena with Stefan now. As much as it had killed him to see Katherine with Stefan in the past this was a thousand times worse. Because he'd known that Katherine had been into her little games and that none of it was real between her and Stefan. But Elena wasn't about playing games. What had passed between them had been real; he was as certain of that as anything his alcohol soaked brain could be sure of at the moment. To see her go back to Stefan now… his stomach lurched at the very idea.

"I think you should leave now." Damon grumbled into his pillow.

Stefan stooped to pick up one of the crumpled pieces of paper from the floor. Surprised to see the drawing of Elena… or was it Katherine? With the old fashioned clothing it was difficult to tell. Damon had obviously spent hours crafting the sketches with loving detail. He picked up another and another, finding them all of the same subject. "Are these of Katherine?"

"Yeah, go ahead, keep em all as a souvenir if you want. I don't want to hear her name again in my presence." Damon sighed into the pillow.

His brows drew together in confusion as Stefan looked from the drawing to his brother. "I thought… well that you mourned her?"

An inelegant snort left Damon's lips. "Yeah, that's rich. Kinda hard to mourn someone who isn't dead. You know this whole time I thought she was in the tomb?"

"Is that why you came back to Mystic Falls?" Stefan's brows rose as he suddenly gained that insight into his brother's motivations.

"Yep." Damon replied flippantly. "Turns out she's been out and about breaking hearts in the big apple, or… she was supposed to be in New York… I'm a little fuzzy about where she's been spending her time. Alls I know is it was elsewhere and she never once..." A wave of misery washed over him and he couldn't finish the sentence. Fighting to carve the bitch out of his heart, he closed his eyes and Elena's face danced there, her eyes shining as her lips turned up into a playful smile. "Which part of leave was unclear?" He pouted. "Just leave me to my dreams; they're all I have left."

Misunderstanding the reason for Damon's torment, Stefan nodded, taking a step backwards towards the door. "I'm sorry she hurt you." He offered softly. Stefan smoothed out the pictures of Katherine and folded them up carefully to slip into his pocket. "But maybe you'll run into her some day, if it's meant to be."

"Oh don't give me any of that fate crap. There is no M.F.E.O. There is no love… nothing…" His speech grew slurred. Elena smiled in his mind's eye, smiled just for him and he hugged a pillow close. "I'm sorry Elena, so sorry…" He murmured, voice fading away as he sank into oblivion.

Surprised to hear Elena's name and an apology on his brother's lips, Stefan frowned down at Damon, his forehead puckered with worry. Just what had happened between the two of them?

* * *

I took my time getting ready to go out hunting that night, choosing and discarding outfit after outfit as I tried to decide what look to go for. It wouldn't be the same as going hunting in the city at all. I lived in Mystic Falls. People knew me there; I had to be careful, extremely careful. While my mood was curiously light and any negativity seemed to roll off of me as easy as water off a duck's back; I could still grasp the danger in being sloppy on the hunt.

But if I'm being honest, I can admit I was stalling a little bit. It felt really strange to be contemplating going out on my own. Would I pick someone who knew me well so that I could easily get them alone? Or would that be too dangerous? Was a near stranger that I could compel for the best?

What if I couldn't stop myself?

I had yet to do it on my own, but it seemed less important. The only way I'd be able to find out was to give it a shot. Looking back, I can't believe I was that cavalier about it, but it makes sense in retrospect. For good or ill I was set on doing it and nothing short of a natural disaster was gonna keep me from my goal.

And then a knock came from the front door.

Already halfway down the stairs, I went to answer it, waiting expectantly for some kind of introduction from the girl waiting on my doorstep. She looked about my age with long blonde hair that hung straight down her back. As I waited, the smile on her face died, to be replaced by a look of open shock.

"Can I help you?" I prompted her, not at all liking the way she was looking at me.

"I um… wow." A chuckle bubbled up from her throat. "Sorry, you must be Elena, right? I'm looking for Stefan."

It seemed an odd way to begin a conversation. "Stefan isn't here."

"He's not?" Her face scrunched up in dramatic confusion. "That's so weird because he said he was coming straight here. You really haven't heard from him?"

"He was here but he left." Okay so I'd pretty much ordered him to leave, but I didn't mention that. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Oh, sorry." She grinned with a little roll of the eyes. "I'm Lexi, a friend of Stefan's from way back. You know, _way _back." Lexi gave me a meaningful look and it dawned on me that she was a vampire too. Now that my mind had made that leap, I realized that I could sense it in her, the lack of a heartbeat and she smelled different than humans did. Not bad, just different.

"Ah, gotcha." I nodded.

"So, is Stefan coming back then?" She asked brightly.

"No, I don't think so, not tonight anyway."

The blonde vampire stared at me intently, her head canted to one side and I wondered how old she was. Somehow I got the impression she'd been around for a while; seen many things.

"I was under the impression that the two of you were… you know."

"Well we were…" I swallowed uncomfortably. "But things are… complicated." Understatement of the year.

"When isn't it?" Lexi laughed good naturedly, and I couldn't help but smile back at her upbeat temperament. It was a nice change after Stefan's broodiness and Damon's… intensity.

"Yeah, you're right there. Look, I was just gonna head out but… do you wanna come in for a bit?" If she did know Stefan from way back, it stood to reason that she might know Damon for just as long and might have some insight into the brothers that I wouldn't be able to get elsewhere.

"Sure, sounds like fun." She nodded, taking a step forward but pausing at the threshold. "Whoops… ah, got someone alive who can invite me in?" She gave me a rueful grin.

"Oh right, sorry I forgot." So that could be inconvenient… but then again, there weren't all that many vampires I wanted to be inviting into my home anyway. I glanced up the stairs in the direction of Jenna's bedroom and considered it but decided against it. Lexi seemed friendly enough, but it might not be a good idea to give her that kind of access right off the bat. "Tell you what? How about you come out with me and I'll show you what passes for nightlife in Mystic Falls?"

If she was offended by my putting her off, it didn't show on her face. "Yeah sure, sounds like fun." Lexi agreed readily. "I'll drive."

It didn't take long to get downtown and I navigated us to the Mystic Grill. There were some bars on the fringe of town that might have worked in a pinch, but the Grill was where I was the most comfortable. Lexi seemed friendly enough, easy to talk to, and didn't mind sharing stories about Stefan in the slightest. It was strange to hear about him from the filter of her experiences. Apparently he _was _capable of letting go and having a good time. Idly I wondered if I brought out the brood in him, or if she just brought out the wild side of him?

As we stepped out of the car into the parking lot, she went around to the back of her SUV and pulled open the rear door. "Just a sec… probably a good idea if I stop and have a little drink before we go and get a drink." Popping open a cooler, she reached for a blood bag and popped a straw in like it was a capri sun and took a sip. "Mmm, hits the spot. Want one?" She pulled out another bag and waved it at me.

"Um, yeah sure, thanks." I caught it midair as she tossed it in my direction and followed her example, joining her as she took a seat in the open back of the SUV. Kind of like a vampire tailgate party. The blood was thicker and not as appetizing chilled, but I had to admit, it tasted better than animal blood and a damn sight better than starving.

"Nothing like a little type O after a long drive." She sighed contentedly.

"Do you have a favorite blood type?" I asked conversationally, sipping at my bag.

"Totally. Don't you?" Lexi nodded.

I had to admit that I did, but wondered if it was wise to bring up why since she was Stefan's friend first and foremost. "Yeah, I just wasn't sure if it was normal."

"Stefan didn't go over all the ins and outs with you?" A roll of the eyes was given. "Typical." She grinned.

Smiling back, I realized I was starting to like Lexi. Maybe I was just missing having a girlfriend around to talk to since I had died, but it was nice to have someone to talk to who had no expectations of me. "So… why did you seem so surprised when I opened the door back at the house?"

"I know, I kinda freaked out, right?" Lexi admitted readily. "Stefan didn't tell me how much you look like Katherine."

Just like that I lost my good mood at the mention of her name. "I'm gonna hear that for all eternity aren't I?" I scowled. At least from everyone who'd ever met her and it sounded like Katherine was the type who knew how to get around.

"Hey, I never met the bitch, but I've heard about her plenty over the years and I've seen the picture of course." She gave a careless shrug.

"She'd better never show her face around here or I'll just have to do something to make sure her face doesn't look like mine anymore." I all but growled. Scratch her eyes out I was thinking, or maybe just break her nose a time or two.

"Me-ow, you go girl." Lexi laughed, tossing her empty blood pack into the back of the car. "You and me both. When I think of all the fucked up things she did to those guys." She shook her head.

"So you've heard all about it then huh?"

"More than I wanted to. I can't tell you how weepy and melancholy Stefan gets when he's got a half a bottle of tequila in him."

"Stefan?" Were we talking about the same brother? I'd never seen him take a drink before, it was always Damon who had a tumbler of scotch permanently fixed to his hand.

"Don't look so surprised, I've seen him get plenty wild and crazy over the years, and usually there was alcohol involved." She chuckled. "Plus, it helps take the edge off the craving for you know, fresh blood."

"It does?" My brows rose in surprise.

"Oh yeah, I mean not as good as having a little snack like this before you go mingle among the living, but it's good in a pinch." She patted the top of the cooler.

"Where do you get your blood? Did you knock over a blood bank?" I couldn't help but ask, setting my empty bag beside hers.

"Oh no, I used to date this guy, he gets it for me without any hassles. I didn't know how long I'd be away from home so I decided to bring a supply with me so I wouldn't be tempted."

I digested that for a minute. "So you don't ever hunt? For you know, fresh blood?"

"Like Stefan?" Her nose wrinkled with distaste. "No, I tried the animal diet but I only lasted a couple of weeks before I caved. It wasn't pretty." Lexi admitted. "I don't know how he does it."

"Yeah, me neither." I admitted readily. Animal blood wasn't nearly as satisfying as the real thing, but I didn't need to tell her that. "But I meant, you don't ever hunt among humans?"

Her lips pressed together for a moment like she was deciding how much to tell me. "I used to. But… I've been trying to walk the straight and narrow for a while now."

"Why?" I blurted out. "I'm sorry, I know I'm asking a ton of questions, but you know if I ask Stefan it's all about the animal blood and Damon… well you know what he thinks."

"Yeah." She snorted. "Damon's not exactly burdened with an overabundance of morals. But that's okay, I don't mind the questions." Lexi gave me that sunny smile of hers. "It's all about the love of a good man. I'm trying to… reign in my predatory instincts."

"How's that working out for you?"

"It sucks." She laughed. "But I make do. We all make choices, you know? So I'm trying to do the right thing."

My face clouded at that. Was I doing the wrong thing in drinking right from the source? So far I hadn't killed anyone, but that was likely only because Damon had been right there.

She must have been able to read my thoughts all over my face and Lexi grew instantly sympathetic. "Oh, hey. I'm not trying to project my lifestyle on you though, if you want to hunt go right ahead. I mean I'm not one to talk, god knows I've done my share of killing in my day." She laid a light hand on my arm.

"I haven't killed anyone." Yet… my inner voice said. "Damon said if you're careful it doesn't have to hurt anyone… in fact… they kinda seem to like it."

Her lips twisted into a wry grin. "Yeah, that sounds like something Damon would say."

"Have you known him just as long as you've known Stefan?"

"Near enough."

"Was he always… the way he is now?" I couldn't help but ask.

An inelegant snort left her pretty lips. "Let me tell you about Damon…"

**A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger but this chapter was starting to get really long and I figured it was better to just post the update. Hmmm, Elena came out less cold this time, but then again there wasn't all that much emotion involved for her in this chapter. We'll see what happens when the boys show up. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I'm glad you guys liked the addition of Lexi! Don't worry, I have no intention of Damon staking her in this version! **

_She must have been able to read my thoughts all over my face and Lexi grew instantly sympathetic. "Oh, hey. I'm not trying to project my lifestyle on you though, if you want to hunt go right ahead. I mean I'm not one to talk, god knows I've done my share of killing in my day." She laid a light hand on my arm. _

"_I haven't killed anyone." Yet… my inner voice said. "Damon said if you're careful it doesn't have to hurt anyone… in fact… they kinda seem to like it."_

_Her lips twisted into a wry grin. "Yeah, that sounds like something Damon would say."_

"_Have you known him just as long as you've known Stefan?"_

"_Near enough."_

"_Was he always… the way he is now?" I couldn't help but ask. _

_An inelegant snort left her pretty lips. "Let me tell you about Damon…"_

Lexi jumped to her feet and I followed suit as she locked up her car and we headed into the Grill. I perked up at that, hoping to hear more about Damon than from his own lips (because let's be real, Damon's his own biggest fan) or from Stefan, who was clearly biased. "Yeah?" I prompted.

"You know he used to be an even bigger broodbaby than Stefan back in the day?"

"Really?" I couldn't picture it.

"Oh yeah, none of those cutting little quips or bedroom eyes, those came later." Lexi nodded, steering us to a table. "Damon really had the tortured blood drinker down pat. He really had it bad for Katherine."

The last thing I wanted to do was talk about Damon and Katherine in the same sentence. "Ugh new topic please."

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot." She made a face. "It's funny, I don't even really think of Katherine when I look at you anymore." Lexi got big time brownie points for that one and I gave her a big smile. "Anyway, like I said Damon was all moony and depressed for a while, not fun at all to be around if you can believe that. And one day he just turned it off. I don't know why it took him so long really. Maybe part of him is a little masochistic."

"What do you mean?" An idea was starting to form in the back of my mind…

"I mean I don't know why he let himself wallow in it for so long instead of just snapping off his emotions. Oh geez… they didn't tell you about that either did they? Men suck…" She shook her head in disgust.

"Snapping off his emotions..." Was that what had happened to me? Why I was annoyed with Damon about his betrayal but didn't seem to care other than that? I still had the memory of that crushing pain, but I couldn't stir those same feelings again no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't stir strong emotions about anything, good or bad.

Lexi's eyes widened and she leaned forward, her voice dropping. "Oh, I know that look… is that where you are right now? Did you turn off your emotions?"

"I… I guess so. I had no idea it could be done but… it explains what I've been feeling, or not feeling." I frowned, unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. While it was immensely freeing not to be weighed down with all that pain and suffering, I wasn't sure I liked not feeling any of the good stuff either like the love for my family. Or Stefan. Was that why I hadn't felt anything when I'd seen him earlier or was the thrill really gone?

"Don't sweat it sweetie, it happens to all of us, especially after the first couple of kills. Did you kill someone?" Her eyes were alight with the prospect of this new juicy gossip.

"No, I didn't kill anyone; Damon kept me from doing that."

"He did? That doesn't sound like the Damon I love to hate." Lexi looked genuinely perplexed.

"Do you really hate him?" I wasn't even sure if I hated him now or not.

"Hate is a strong word." She allowed with a tilt of the head. "I mean sure, I can admit he's sex on a stick with those eyes and that smile…" I looked at her in surprise at the admission. "Yeah, I'm dead I'm not _that_ dead." She giggled, and I laughed along with her. "But he's always putting on a show, it just gets exhausting to be around him all the time, you know? I never get the sense that I'm getting anything real from him. Stefan's always so much easier that way, what you see is what you get."

I digested that for a moment. There had definitely been a time when I would have agreed hands down. Damon always had a front up, and it was difficult to know what he was really thinking or feeling. I thought I had seen the real him for just a little while in that hotel room… but it turned out I'd just been horribly wrong. "You're right. Just when you think you're getting to know him… you know what? I don't want to talk about Damon anymore." I decided impulsively.

Lexi was staring at me intently. "You shut down because of Damon, didn't you?" She asked, and I squirmed a little under her gaze. "What did he do to you?"

I knew I shouldn't tell her. She was Stefan's friend, first and foremost and was probably the last person to be objective. But who else was I gonna talk to? Bonnie had made it perfectly clear she wasn't on board with the whole vampire thing and Caroline… was Caroline.

Taking a deep breath, I summed up my last few days, how Damon and I had grown closer together, bonding over the hunt. Lexi listened in rapt attention, refraining from commenting except for a sympathetic noise every now and again. I rushed through the ending, not wanting to dwell on it, as a ribbon of fear sliced through me that perhaps by talking about it openly, the pain might come back.

"Wow." Lexi sat stunned when I finished my tale. "No wonder you turned it all off, I would have done the same in a heartbeat. You know what you could use? A drink. I'll be right back." With that, she went to the bar, leaving me sitting there, stewing over it all. At least she hadn't been upset that I'd grown away from Stefan; that was comforting at least. I don't think I would have taken it very well if she'd left in a huff over it.

A couple of minutes later she returned; hands full of little shot glasses. "Here you go, just what the doctor ordered."

"That's some doctor…" I muttered, tossing back the shot of what turned out to be tequila, welcoming the burn. "So… am I stuck this way now, or will it all come back eventually?" The jury was still out on which was the better option.

"That all depends. I think in your case it was a defense mechanism, so your emotions won't come back until you're ready to deal with them or the pain has faded a bit."

"Have you gone through it?"

Lexi drank, taking a moment to herself before she replied. "Yeah, once like it happened to you and other times by choice. Like I said, it happens to a lot of us after we kill in the beginning. That's what happened to me. Only it was after I'd killed someone I cared very much about. It was an accident, I just got… carried away. I was very young, didn't know a thing about control." Her eyes took on a faraway cast until she seemed to recall who she was with and focused on me again. "I was a mess one minute and the next… it just didn't seem like it was such a big deal."

"That's exactly what happened to me!" My hand slammed down on the table. "One minute I thought I might die from the pain and the next… I was thinking about being late for school."

"You still go to school?"

My hand flopped back and forth. "Sorta, I'm taking a break right now, weighing my options." That wasn't what I wanted to talk about though. "So what was it that brought you back?"

"A man." Lexi's smile grew wide. "A very special man who showed me that there was more to life than feeding and killing."

"And you can do it at will now? Back and forth?"

"Pretty much, if I wanted to." She shrugged. "But the danger of having your emotions shut off for too long is you start to forget what it was like to live any other way. You don't care about feeling those things anymore. It becomes all about the thrill of the hunt, satisfying your immediate needs. There are no consequences… it's a very seductive way to live."

That didn't sound so appealing. "Let me ask you this. You've been with another vampire before, right? I mean you've exchanged blood and…" I didn't want to spell it all out, but she seemed to grasp what I was asking.

"Yeah, of course."

"So… is it always like that? I mean is that normal, what I was feeling for drinking any vampire's blood, or was that because he was the one who turned me, or…" Was it just because it was Damon? I couldn't bring myself to ask that aloud, because I wasn't sure I wanted to be tied like that to a man who drove me so insane.

"Oh, wow you're really asking all the hard ones tonight aren't you?" Lexi, drank her other shot. "I'm not an expert or anything, but I have shagged my share of vamps over the past three hundred and fifty years." She grinned, waggling her eyebrows playfully as I gaped at her. I never would have guessed she was so old! "To answer your question, it's not always that intense. It can be, when there's a connection between you, and it's always better than a stick in the eye, but it's almost always better than sex with a human because you can really let go and not have to worry about crushing them in the throes of passion if you know what I mean."

"I hadn't thought of that before. So why are vampires even interested in relationships with humans?"

"Well because vamps are used to getting their way and in a lot of ways it's easier with humans. Less of a battle of egos since you can always compel them to forget about an argument or indiscretion. And there's that thrill of sinking your teeth into a warm, living being…" Lexi paused to swallow and I could see she needed a moment to tamp down the bloodlust that rose from her words. "And there is a little bit of a danger whenever two vampires hook up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there is a danger in that sharing of blood for vampires. Vampire blood is so much richer and more potent than human blood. It's easy to get lost in the shared experience, the giving and taking of blood. You can sustain each other for a little while, but eventually you're gonna need human or animal blood to replenish your stores. At least one of you is gonna have to drink something else or you'll eventually grow weaker and weaker. The real danger is that you might not even notice until it's too late. I've heard of vampire couples that have withered away to nothing, wrapped in each other's arms; so caught up in each other that the rest of the world just faded away."

A skeptical brow rose at that one. "That sounds kinda like campfire stories for vampires. How do you even know that's true?"

"Okay you got me there." Lexi laughed. "I don't know for sure it's true. But I do know that I've felt that lure, at the taste of vampire blood with someone I have a real connection with… there's nothing sweeter."

There was definitely more to that story but as I opened my mouth to ask her about it, I spotted Stefan entering the Grill.

"Small world." He smiled, approaching the table.

I gave Lexi a look and she made no apologies. "What? So I called him? I think you two should talk."

As much as I was enjoying our girls' night out, I supposed she was right, I couldn't avoid him forever. I gave a brief nod.

"That's my cue to go and get us some more drinks. Stef? The usual?"

"Sure, that sounds good." He nodded; his eyes on me as he took a seat at the table. "Want to play a game of pool?"

"Maybe later." I replied, wondering how much Damon had told him. He was still speaking to me, so not everything, I gathered. "Did you see Damon?"

Something passed over his features that I didn't recognize before he covered it with a smile. "Actually I'd rather not talk about Damon tonight, because this is a happy space." Stefan grinned, fingers drawing an imaginary circle around us.

"Fine." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. He'd come all the way down there to just try and sweep things under the rug? I looked to where Lexi stood chatting up the bartender, her face animated. So much for the talk she thought Stefan and I needed. "I wish I could be more like her."

"Who, Lexi?" Stefan's eyes swung over to his friend at the bar. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she's got this all dialed in. She knows who and what she is and she's totally fine with it. Look at her… no doom and gloom and tragedy, she's living the high life." Her laughter came floating on the air, punctuating my point.

"Come on Elena, don't beat yourself up so much. She's got a lot of years on you, you'll get there. The first few years are always the hardest."

Another few _years_ of this? "Somebody stake me now…" I muttered, my mood distinctively having soured since he'd joined me.

"It's not that bad, is it? Being what we are?" His voice sounded tinged with remorse.

"Hey, don't sweat it; you're not the one who turned me, right? Damon's the one who gets all the credit." All the credit for the state I was in.

"I'm glad he did it though." His hands reached for mine and I didn't pull away. "At first I didn't want you to have to go through it, but now… I'm more happy than I can say to know that we'll always be together."

Now I did pull my hands out of his grasp. "Stefan… there is no us." Looking back now, I cringe at how blunt I was, but at the time, I had no guilt over any pain I was inflicting on him.

Stefan's face hardened. "What did happen while I was gone?"

"You're the one who didn't want to talk about Damon." I pointed out.

"What did he do?"

"What did he tell you?" I countered.

"Not a whole lot, he was too busy drowning in a bottle of alcohol."

Good. Let him suffer. I picked up my shot glass and downed the tequila. "Yeah well… it's not the worst way to cope."

"Cope with what? What happened?"

I could see that he was hanging on by his last thread of patience and since Damon hadn't been the one to man up and tell him… it fell to me. "We slept together." My voice was dispassionate as I said it as though I'd said we shared a cab.

He sat back, obviously stunned by my revelation, before he found his voice. "So you two are… a thing now?"

"Not even the littlest bit together, no." I snorted, which only left him looking even more puzzled.

"So wait… why…"

"Because it turned out that the whole time he was screwing me, he was thinking about Her." I couldn't even bring myself to say her name, but I could see he instantly knew who I meant.

"Katherine?" His eyes widened.

"Don't act like you've never thought of her when we're together. Don't act like it wasn't my resemblance to her that drew you in, in the first place."

"Elena I've never…"

"Don't care." I interrupted him. "I'm done with the both of you. I might even be done with men altogether. You think maybe Lexi might be interested?" Okay so I wasn't really considering that, but I was pretty sure she was listening from the bar, and when I heard her giggle, I knew I'd been right.

"Elena, I know you're upset…"

"That's just it Stefan. I'm not upset. I'm not anything." I stood up. "Lexi explained about how we can shut off our emotions, and as near as I can tell, this is the best thing that's happened to me since you came to town."

Leaving him sitting there in stunned silence, I made my way to the bar. "I'm sorry Lexi, I just done with the Salvatore brothers and I really do think it's for the best this way. I hope you'll stop by and see me again."

"I'm sorry too." Lexi pulled me into a quick hug, a sympathetic smile on her face when she pulled back. "For sure I'll come and see you again, we'll do something fun." She promised, and I felt better at having that to look forward to.

As I left the Grill, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was free to do whatever I wanted. There was nothing tying me to Stefan or Damon, or even Mystic Falls. My entire future stretched out in front of me.

**A/N: Mean Elena came back in this one! Okay I know she said she was done with the Salvatores, but really, what are the odds of that happening? Don't worry, more Damon coming soon, I promise! **

**Also, I've got the latest VD episode 4 recap up on my website. (you can find the link on my profile page) I'd love to hear your comments! **

**Feedback is Love People**


	18. Chapter 18

__

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Yay for mean Elena! Things are about to take an unexpected shift though…**

**This chapter's a little shorter, but I thought it was well served at ending it here and getting it out quicker so **_**someone**_** doesn't die…**

"_Elena, I know you're upset…"  
_

"_That's just it Stefan. I'm not upset. I'm not anything." I stood up. "Lexi explained about how we can shut off our emotions, and as near as I can tell, this is the best thing that's happened to me since you came to town."_

_Leaving him sitting there in stunned silence, I made my way to the bar. "I'm sorry Lexi, I just done with the Salvatore brothers and I really do think it's for the best this way. I hope you'll stop by and see me again."_

"_I'm sorry too." Lexi pulled me into a quick hug, a sympathetic smile on her face when she pulled back. "For sure I'll come and see you again, we'll do something fun." She promised, and I felt better at having that to look forward to. _

_As I left the Grill, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was free to do whatever I wanted. There was nothing tying me to Stefan or Damon, or even Mystic Falls. My entire future stretched out in front of me. _

_

* * *

_

I don't know how long he was in the room while I slept, but as soon as something brushed against my cheekbone, my body reacted instantly. My hand shot out with lightning speed and whipped my "attacker" down onto the bed beside me by the throat, my fangs descending with a snarl.

"I give, I give!" Damon's hands came up in a supplicating gesture at the move, his eyes wide; and I could tell I'd surprised the hell out of him.

Instantly my fangs retracted and I could feel my face smooth out as I let go of him. "Oh, it's you." I yawned, burrowing back under the covers again. "What do you want?" My eyes blinked sleepily, it was about an hour after dawn and the early morning sunlight was filtering in through the open window.

"I ah…" Damon was studying me with a puzzled look on his face; clearly he'd been expecting some other kind of reaction. "I thought you'd be getting ready for school, so I brought you something to help tide you over." He held up one of the little vials of milky liquid that acted like a 5 hour energy shot for vamps.

_Oh, that._ "Naw, I'm not gonna go anymore."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. Was there anything else?" I yawned again.

"Well… I thought that maybe we should talk, about what happened."

"Why?" I blinked at him.

"Well Stefan's home and… I didn't tell him what happened between us." He added quickly, as though he was afraid I'd be angry if he had.

"Oh, well don't worry about it, I did."

That stunned him into silence for a full minute. "You did?"

"Yeah, why not? He has a right to know. I actually would have thought it would be something you couldn't wait to tell him." I gave as close of an approximation of a shrug as I could manage lying down.

"So you told him what exactly? That we slept together?"

"Yep, pretty much. I mean I didn't give him a blow by blow or anything, but I'm sure his imagination can fill in the details." I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he digested my words.

"What else did you tell him?" Damon prompted.

"Oh I told him that the whole time we were in bed you were thinking about Katherine." It didn't hurt at all to say it, and my mood lifted a little as I began to fully grasp that I could move past this.

"I wasn't… Elena, what I said… it was a stupid mistake."

A laugh bubbled up from my chest. "I'll say." It had been funny when it had happened on Friends, and I could see the humor in the situation now.

His head canted to one side as he studied me, his brows knit together into a single dark line. "What's going on? Why aren't you trying to take my head off? Did you forgive me already? I mean, I was prepared to grovel before you took me back."

A very unladylike snort left my lips as I stretched good and long. "I'm not taking you back, Damon. I'm done helping you work out your Katherine issues. Too much drama."

"I don't have any Katherine issues, not anymore." Another frown line appeared on his forehead.

"Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that." I rolled over and sat up, clearly he wasn't going to take the hint and leave anytime soon, and I was thirsty.

"Elena, I wanted to be with _you_ last night, not her. It was a stupid slip of the tongue."

Rising from the bed, I went to drink from my water bottle, watching him lying on my bed. He was still sexy, but I didn't feel anything for him beyond maybe a tinge of lust. "Well, as much as I enjoy that slippery tongue, I told you, I'm not interested."

In a flash he was standing before me, pinning me against my dresser and I had to admit, there were a few tingles where our bodies touched.

"No? Something tells me you're very interested." He purred in that cocky way of his, eyes flashing the way that used to make my knees melt. His mouth covered mine, and I kissed him back, my body responding to his instinctively.

Without the tangle of emotions, all that was left was the lust, and I could appreciate on a different level just how sinfully skilled Damon's kisses were. Just when I thought things were getting interesting, he pulled me into his embrace, holding me tight.

"I'm so sorry Elena, so sorry." Damon whispered between kisses, and a flutter of something dangerously close to emotion stirred within me.

"Shut up a minute, you're ruining the magic, moron." I muttered irritably, chasing after his lips again.

Damon pulled away then, staring down at me. "This isn't you…"

Did he want me to kiss him or not? "Ugh, if you're gonna be a woman about it, just go. I can get back to sleep." I shoved him away, moving back towards the bed.

"What happened to you?" Damon stared at me as I slipped back under the covers.

"You know exactly what happened to me Damon." I met his gaze squarely. "Don't tell me you haven't ever switched off your emotions. Lexi says vampires do it all the time, and as far as I can tell I might not ever go back." Why would anyone want to feel all of that human heartache ever again?

"Elena, I know I hurt you…" His jaw tightened with all kinds of guilt and I started to lose patience with this conversation.

"No Damon, I'm not hurt, not anymore." Pushing away the covers, I kneeled on the bed so that I was on level with his eyes. "Just let it go… move on. I have." An idea began to form in the back of my mind. "Come with me Damon. Let all of this guilt and pain go and we'll have fun. Whaddaya say?" I reached for his shoulders, bringing him closer. Damon was a lot of fun when he was in the right frame of mind; I had a feeling we could have a really good time together.

I could see the struggle within him, weighing pros and cons of whatever was going through his mind at my proposal. It was easy to see what his body wanted, I could feel the desire coming off of him in waves and it sparked something primal inside of me. Without waiting for him to respond, my mouth crashed against his, teeth scraping against his lips to gain entry. In just a fraction of a moment he was responding, our tongues tangling as we each fought for dominance.

Fabric tore as we tugged at each other's clothes, desperate to get to bare skin. At first he pinned me under him, but this time something inside of me needed to show him that I was doing the taking. With a quick shift he was below me, my hair descending around us like a dark cloud, filtering out the bright light of day. I watched his face the exact moment I sank down upon him, a feeling of power ascending over me as I held him under my sway.

I set a slow pace, watching his pleasure and frustration build when I wouldn't give in to what my own body was clamoring for, enjoying the control of drawing it out instead of giving in to the lust that raged through me. Not content to just lie there passively, his strong hands urged me to go faster, harder, deeper.

Finally he cheated, using the weapon he knew I wouldn't be able to resist. Damon's fangs pierced my shoulder, and I instantly lost the veneer of control over my actions. Claiming him with my own mouth, I drank greedily even as he took in my essence.

There were no tender words or caresses between us in that carnal coupling. It was everything that wild and passionate sex could be as we gave ourselves up to it completely, hardly caring if anyone heard. On and on it went until we collapsed against the sheets, limbs weak with pleasure.

* * *

It was dark the next time my eyes opened, and Damon was sprawled half on top of me, dead to the world. As I watched him sleep, Lexi's words came back to me about the dangers of combining the sex and blood exchange between vampires. Part of me was already pretty sure that Damon had ruined me for sex with a mere human, there was just no comparison. Not that I had all kinds of experience in that department, but I hadn't been a shrinking virgin before I'd met him.

But another part of me was curious. If I had sex with another vampire, would it feel the same? Would I still feel that incredible satisfaction at taking his blood? Even without the emotions playing a part in our romp that morning, the sex had been amazing, there was no denying that. I only hoped that he wouldn't get all clingy and emotional when he woke up.

Dark lashes fanned over his pale cheek until a perfectly formed azure eye opened, the pupil widening in the dim light. "Hi." Damon's voice was low and husky with disuse.

"Hi." I replied, waiting to see what would come next. Would I be spending the night doing something fun and exciting with him or kicking him to the curb?

"You need a toothbrush, STAT." He smirked, not even bothering to dodge the light punch I delivered to his shoulder in retaliation.

"You don't exactly smell like a bed of roses either." The room still carried the faint perfume of sex mingled with the sharp coppery scent of our blood that stained the sheets. "Jenna's gonna have a cow when she sees the sheets." I sighed, "Guess that's just something else I need to smooth over the next time she starts to blow a gasket."

"That's my girl. You see something you don't like; you just smooth it over until it suits you." Damon nodded approvingly.

This was easier than I'd thought it would be. He seemed much more like the old Damon, and I knew how to work with this. "Shower?"

"I thought you'd never ask." His teeth glittered in the darkness.

It was quite a bit later that we emerged from the shower, cleaner and cheeks pink with exertion. I could get used to this, no drama, just how I wanted it.

"What am I gonna wear?" Damon picked up the remnants of his shirt, just wearing a towel slung low over his hips.

"I vote for what you have on now, I really think it brings out your eyes." I volunteered my opinion, pulling out fresh clothes for myself, a soft pair of jeans and a simple black tank top.

"Unh uh, no fair. If I have to stay like this, so do you." He grinned, reaching for my towel, but I slapped his hand away playfully.

"I guess you'll just have to stay here and hope that I bring you something to wear." I teased, tugging on my clothes.

"You think I won't go out like this?" A single brow was raised. "Then again, there's something to be said for being held a prisoner of your room."

"My own personal sex slave…" I pretended to consider, pulling my damp hair out of the back of my top. "Could be fun."

"Only if you reciprocate. I could get you one of those Princess Leia slave girl outfits…"

"What is it about guys and that movie?" I shook my head. "Sorry, that's not a fantasy I'm looking to fulfill."

"So there are fantasies you would be willing to fulfill?" His eyes flashed, and I gave him a wicked grin for my reply. "We're gonna come back to this." Damon's finger came up to make the point. "But for now, I do need something to wear if we're gonna have any fun tonight."

"Fun?" My ears perked up at that. "What did you have in mind?"

His blue eyes sparkled. "Just wait and see."

**A/N: So wow Elena really took me by surprise in this one becoming the aggressor! I'll give you a little bit of a spoiler, Damon is not nearly as detached as he's acting at the moment. We'll see how much he lets her get away with before his emotions get the better of him. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	19. Chapter 19

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**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**While I'm glad you guys are embracing this new Elena, she won't be staying like this permanently. In fact, I've already decided what it is that flips her switch, just have to get there. **

"_You think I won't go out like this?" A single brow was raised. "Then again, there's something to be said for being held a prisoner of your room."_

"_My own personal sex slave…" I pretended to consider, pulling my damp hair out of the back of my top. "Could be fun."_

"_Only if you reciprocate. I could get you one of those Princess Leia slave girl outfits…"_

"_What is it about guys and that movie?" I shook my head. "Sorry, that's not a fantasy I'm looking to fulfill." _

"_So there are fantasies you would be willing to fulfill?" His eyes flashed, and I gave him a wicked grin for my reply. "We're gonna come back to this." Damon's finger came up to make the point. "But for now, I do need something to wear if we're gonna have any fun tonight."_

"_Fun?" My ears perked up at that. "What did you have in mind?"_

_His blue eyes sparkled. "Just wait and see."_

_

* * *

_

"When are you gonna give me back my car keys?" Damon muttered as we pulled away from the house. He was still wearing the towel after refusing the offer of some of Jeremy's clothes.

"Oh, you mean _my_ car?" I grinned, perfectly comfortable in the driver's seat.

"It's cute how you think you're funny."

"It's cute how you think you're getting your car back." I quipped, flashing him a smile. "So, where to?"

"Well, unless you feel like stopping by the boarding house for a little heart to heart chat with Stefan, I'm thinking some place that sells men's clothes."

My face scrunched up, that last thing I wanted to do was see Stefan, especially after I'd just told him I was done with both brothers. Okay so I was a hypocrite, but if anyone could leave all the drama behind and just have a good time it was Damon. And I craved that back then, needed it. "I'd rather not crash Stefan and Lexi's reunion right about now. Kroger's Fine Apparel it is." I nodded.

"Lexi's in town?" Damon's brows came up. "Huh."

"Yeah, why?" A twinge of jealousy reared its ugly head as I caught the expression on his face.

"Oh nothing, she's just… we have a sort of love/hate relationship."

"Really? I was getting the impression it was more hate than love."

"Sometimes it's all part of the same thing." He gave me a wolfish grin and I was tempted to smack it off his face.

Was he saying that he'd been… intimate with her? Somehow I doubted it from the way she'd talked about him. But then again… maybe she might not tell me if she thought I was involved with Damon too? Or maybe he was just being Damon and projecting his own smarmy twist onto everything?

"She told me some very interesting things about you." I could play too.

"Did she now, do tell?" Damon leaned forward.

"Uh huh. Very… illuminating. Things I had no idea about."

Now his brows drew together into a single dark line. "Things like what?"

"Oh it was just, you know. Girl talk." I smiled mysteriously, enjoying the way his curiosity was obviously getting the better of him. "We're here, are you seriously going to go into the store like that, or do you want me to pick something out for you?"

"You think I won't?" Before I could voice a reply, he was out of the car and pulling open the door to the store, leaving me to follow or not. Of course I was hot on his heels, not wanting to miss the spectacle. Damon strode confidently into the clothing store, towel slung low across his hips with barely a nod to the salesgirls whose eyes were immediately riveted to his lean form. "Ladies." His eyes flashed playfully but then his attention seemed firmly rooted on the clothing racks.

I hung back, watching him shop, and watching the girls watching him. The store was nearly deserted, it was near closing time and he had free reign of the men's department.

"So hard to get decent clothes in a backwater town like this." He was muttering while I browsed a bit myself.

"Just pick something out." I said in conversational tones, knowing he could pick out my voice even though he was across the room. "I don't want to hang around here all night."

"Fine, take all the fun out of it why don't you." Damon grumbled, tugging on a pair of dark jeans, right there on the sales floor.

I could hear the scandalized titter of laughter from the salesgirls and could guess what they were getting an eyeful of. Damon hadn't bothered to stop in the underwear department first. He came around the corner still shirtless, the jeans open a button or two revealing just a glimpse of dark hair.

"You should pick out something too. I'm buying." He grinned.

An answering smile spread across my face. He didn't have any money on him and we both knew it. "Okay. Just put a shirt on already, you're gonna give that old lady a heart attack." I tossed a t-shirt at him, and he deftly caught it before it hit him in the face and looked it over briefly before discarding it.

In the end I was more interested in watching him than the clothes; if I'd wanted to go on a shopping spree I would have taken us to the city. Finally he selected a simple black button up shirt, leaving it open at the throat and some socks and shoes. Almost as an afterthought, he picked up a deep red cashmere scarf and draped it around his shoulders.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you like here?" Damon asked, his eyes flicking over to the girls who huddled together by the cash register, still watching him intently.

The idea of feeding on either of those girls was distasteful to me, but I couldn't think of why. "I don't think that's such a hot idea."

"What? One for you, one for me…"

I shook my head. "I want something with a little more kick to it. You promised me something fun tonight." I reminded him.

"Okay, okay." He relented, going over to exchange a few words with the girls. I could almost feel the pulse of power that came from him as he overrode their memories. "Let's go have that fun." He grinned.

* * *

"Tell me again how this is supposed to be fun?" We were sitting alone in the cemetery, and for the past half hour he'd been showing me how to gather the mist and fog, making the graveyard that much creepier. Sure it was interesting; but fun?

"I thought it was pretty cool." Damon seemed disgruntled over my lack of enthusiasm.

"Well yeah it's neat, but not all that useful. What else can you do?" We'd started out with him teaching me how to summon a crow, using a form of compulsion. No matter how hard I'd tried, the only thing I'd been able to summon was a pair of squirrels. A fact that had left Damon practically rolling on the ground with laughter. I was starting to lose my patience with this field trip.

"Lots of things, but it's too soon for you to try them." Damon smiled smugly.

"I thought we were gonna do something fun?" I complained.

"Okay, you want fun?" He caught up my hand then and wrapped his arm around my waist before launching us straight up into the air so fast it made my head spin. This was a rush of speed, the likes of which I'd never seen before and I instantly knew he was right, I wouldn't have been capable of it.

I could barely keep track of where we were going, but all of a sudden we were standing outside one of the bars on the outskirts of town, Callaghan's. I'd never been in there myself, but Damon seemed at ease.

Inside it was a typical bar, with a pool table, a couple of dart game boards, and scarred wooden tables and chairs in a ring around the outside of the room. There were several seats available at the bar, but Damon led us to the small open area, presumably a dance floor though no one was currently dancing.

"Now the real shopping begins." He grinned, spinning me around so that my back rested against him. Strong hands grabbed my hips and pulled me close, and his voice was low at my ear. "Take a look; tell me if you see anything you like."

My eyes swept over the bar's customers as we swayed to the music together. For the most part the patrons didn't look all that appetizing either, and I wondered if it was because I was spoiled by tasting Damon's blood? Still, there was a likely candidate or two, and I watched them as we danced. Our bodies moved well together, quite a bit more intimately than we had the first time we'd danced together at the boarding house.

I turned in his arms, my body brushing across his, to face him. "Oh yeah, I see something I like alright." I grinned, gratified to see the answering twinkle in his eyes at my words. "I'd better go chase after it." I teased, pulling away. His low groan of frustration reached my ears as I sauntered away from him and up to the bar to give the bartender a dazzling smile.

The bartender's name was Kenny and he had some very interesting tattoos that he didn't mind showing me the instant I commented on them. Without having to compel him, he gave me a drink and spent all of his time talking to me instead of taking care of his other customers. "How about you close up shop and we have a private party?" I asked, giving him my most seductive look.

"Closing time!" He called out without looking away. With a collective groan, the few customers shambled to their feet and started to file out after downing the remainder of their drinks. "Hey, closing time." Kenny's head jerked towards Damon who watched use from a table in the corner, and I saw that at some point he'd appropriated his own bottle, the amber liquid in the glass low.

"Oh he's okay." I touched Kenny's arm and his attention instantly returned to me.

"Is he your boyfriend?" A look of disappointment crossed his features.

"Oh no. He's my… brother." I smiled.

"Boy, you are sick…" Damon's voice came to my ears alone and my smile widened a little in response.

"Your brother?" Obviously Kenny was having trouble reconciling that bit of news with the way we'd been dancing together when we'd first arrived, but I seized upon his distraction to go and lock the front door, flipping the sign in the window to Closed.

"How about a dance?" I asked Kenny, leading him out to the dance floor as the music changed to something slow, the baseline deep and throbbing. I felt strong and powerful as he followed me, his eyes on my curves.

But as his arms wrapped around me, I cared nothing for his touch, or the feel of his body pressed against mine. His pulse called out to me, strong and steady, but I had no desire to do anything with Kenny besides feed from him. Tired of the preamble, I turned my eyes to his, exerting my will. "Let's go in the back."

While I knew he would have come with me without it, I wanted him docile for what I had in mind next. Just before we left the main room, I turned back to catch Damon's eye. "Are you coming?" I smiled invitingly.

I suppose in my head I saw a repeat of what had happened in the alley between us on our last trip to the city. Sharing the blood of whatever his name was had magnified the bond between us and I chased after that feeling without knowing why.

"You want your brother to join us?" Kenny seemed doubtful, but didn't offer any real resistance.

"You don't have a problem with that? Do you?"

"No." Kenny smiled placidly, letting me push him against the desk in the office.

"Good Boy." I smiled, my face shifting as my fangs descended, knowing what was coming next. Turning to find Damon standing in the doorway, I held my hand out to him, beckoning him to join us.

Damon approached, setting his glass down on the desk but he didn't take his place beside me. Instead, he stood behind me, brushing the hair away from my neck to place soft kiss behind my ear. "You go on ahead, he's all yours."

"Suit yourself." I didn't have to be told twice, and sank my teeth into Kenny without further preamble, not caring if Kenny was having a good time or not. Kenny went rigid, but he didn't try to pull away, his heart pumping faster and faster.

I felt Damon's hands on me then as I drank, and moaned lightly against Kenny's flesh. Wanting Damon to share the experience, I caught up one of his hands, and tried to tug him to my side, but he remained immovable. Instead, I felt the sting of his teeth at my neck, his mouth pulling at my pulse even as I pulled from Kenny's. All the while his clever hands kept up their tender assault, driving me mad with their teasing promise of pleasure.

Leaving off from touching Kenny except where my mouth was fastened to his neck, I reached back to touch Damon in kind, stroking his rigid length through the rough denim. My hands worked at the stiff closure, eager to free him.

For a moment it seemed like he was on board with the plan, but then his mouth tore from my neck and he stilled my hands with his. "Elena stop." He groaned, his voice ragged.

My nimble fingers dodged his, not wanting to stop.

"Elena he'll die."

I had almost forgotten about Kenny, but now that I noticed, I felt his heart start to shudder, losing its steady rhythm. For the moment I could have cared less, all I wanted was for this to go on and on. "I don't care." I tore my mouth from him long enough to say, but Damon turned me towards him, keeping me from returning to my feast.

"At some point you will. When the cops question people in the bar and find out a girl matching your description was last seen with him."

His words were like a bucket of cold water and I scowled to be reminded of such things. Why should I be subject to human laws when I was no longer human? My lips pressed together in a mutinous line and Damon's face softened, reaching up to stroke my cheek.

"If you're still hungry we can always take this someplace more… private." He offered.

I'd already drunk my fill, now that I'd pulled back for a moment I could sense that. But there was another hunger that he'd awoken within me that was definitely interested in what he had to offer. "Okay, let's go."

"Wait, gotta clean up our mess." Damon's voice chided lightly, turning to Kenny, who looked like he was dangerously close to passing out. "Go curl up and take a nap Kenny. You had too much to drink tonight. We were never here. Got it?"

"Too much to drink." Kenny murmured, stumbling away from the desk to crash against a threadbare couch in the corner of the office.

But I was feeling impatient. Maybe it was the scent of blood that hung in the air, maybe it was the memory of his hands on me, but suddenly I didn't want to wait until we got some place a bit more private. Kenny was passed out on the couch and my body was clamoring for a different kind of satisfaction.

I reached for him and Damon let me pull him against the desk, our mouths crashing together. He seemed to feel it too; the unbearable need to come together. Would I always find my need for blood so closely tangled with my need for him? At the time I didn't care, I only knew that I wanted him and I could feel that he wanted me too.

We came together without the need for words, neither of us caring that the desk wasn't the most comfortable of spots or that Kenny might wake up and get an eyeful at any moment. Right as the pleasure began to soar I bit him, craving that taste of him, and he bit me again too, just as we both found our fulfillment. It was only when we lay there panting and sated that I found my voice again.

"So what was that about? Why didn't you want to drink from him? I thought you enjoyed that the last time we did it." Not that I was complaining, his drinking from me had made it much more enjoyable for me. I could almost even start to picture his suggestion of a threesome with a human that he'd given the first night we'd been hunting. What would it be like to share the experience of blood and each other in a place where we could take it to the next logical step without fear of discovery?

"It's called piggybacking, and why would I want to drink from him when I could drink from you? Nothing tastes sweeter than you." He pressed a kiss to my throat and then healed the little wounds there with a drop of his own blood.

"Oh man what a line." I rolled my eyes. Nothing tastes sweeter than you? "Come on, we should get out of here." I sat up, looking for my discarded clothes.

Something passed across his face that I couldn't recognize, maybe it was disappointment, but it was gone too fast for me to figure it out. "Yeah, let's go." Damon replied, his usual smirk back in place.

**A/N: The next chapter will be a bit more dramatic as things come to a head for Elena as Damon keeps pushing her threshold. The question is, will she still want him around if he brings her back to normal?**

**How awesome was this week's episode "Kill or be Killed" by the way? I think they really got back on track this one, lots of great twists and turns! **

**Feedback is Love People**


	20. Chapter 20

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**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Aw, it sounds like you guys are gonna miss mean Elena. Sorry guys, but I will try and keep things interesting. **

"_So what was that about? Why didn't you want to drink from him? I thought you enjoyed that the last time we did it." Not that I was complaining, his drinking from me had made it much more enjoyable for me. I could almost even start to picture his suggestion of a threesome with a human that he'd given the first night we'd been hunting. What would it be like to share the experience of blood and each other in a place where we could take it to the next logical step without fear of discovery? _

"_It's called piggybacking, and why would I want to drink from him when I could drink from you? Nothing tastes sweeter than you." He pressed a kiss to my throat and then healed the little wounds there with a drop of his own blood._

"_Oh man what a line." I rolled my eyes. Nothing tastes sweeter than you? "Come on, we should get out of here." I sat up, looking for my discarded clothes. _

_Something passed across his face that I couldn't recognize, maybe it was disappointment, but it was gone too fast for me to figure it out. "Yeah, let's go." Damon replied, his usual smirk back in place. _

_

* * *

_

Damon zoomed us back to the car at super speed and I couldn't have told you if we were flying or what, but my feet didn't touch the ground the entire time. Back in the car, (which I was still driving, thank you very much!) I wasn't sure where to go. It seemed too early to call it a night. "So, where to next?" I asked.

"Let's go back to your place," was Damon's ready reply.

"I'm not tired."

"Neither am I." His eyes did that flashy thing that used to make my stomach flutter.

"Alright then." I replied, thinking that it might be a nice way to while away a couple of hours, but eventually I was gonna get bored with just sticking around the house. Without the burden of having to go to school and with the freedom of Stefan's ring, there wasn't much keeping me there and I was seriously thinking about getting out of town.

Maybe I would just get in the car and drive, see where it took me? Away from memories both good and bad for a fresh start… it definitely had some possibilities. I was still thinking along those lines as we pulled up in front of the house, pocketing the keys in case he got any ideas where the car was concerned. Maybe it would be fun to ask Damon along for the ride, but maybe not… I hadn't quite made up my mind yet.

Once inside, I led him straight up to the bedroom, leaving no doubts as to what I had in mind for the two of us. "Now that you have me all to yourself, whatever will you do with me?" I asked in my most innocent sounding voice, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"First things first." Damon pulled me to my feet and his lips covered mine. His kiss was somehow different from the frenzied coupling we'd shared earlier in the bedroom, or the hunger fueled kisses we'd shared at the bar. It was slower, no matter how much I tried to inject a note of urgency into it. He held me tight, resisting my wandering hands and I came to the realization that the kiss itself was the destination, not the journey. After swallowing back my impatience, I finally surrendered to his pace, enjoying the art of his kiss.

With neither of us needing to break for breath, the kiss went on for some time.

"What was that about?" I asked, as he finally drew apart.

"I just wanted to have done that in case this goes badly."

"In case what goes badly?" My brows drew together in confusion.

"I want to talk about what happened between us the other night."

"What's there to talk about?" I shrugged, and I meant it. I wasn't angry or hurt anymore, it didn't seem to affect what we had now and I liked it that way.

"Oh come on, how can you say that? I called you another woman's name right after sex, that's a pretty shitty thing to do." He smirked.

"Yeah it was shitty, but I'm over it." I pulled away from him to sit on the edge of the bed, watching him warily. Did he _want _me to be angry with him?

"Maybe I'm not."

A roll of the eyes was given. "I don't want to sit here and listen to you bare your soul about your unrequited love while you make moon eyes over Katherine." I scowled. "You love her, I get it. It doesn't have anything to do with me."

"I'm not in love with Katherine."

"Yeah? Then why are you fucking me? I'm a dead ringer for Katherine. You don't have to be a shrink to figure out I'm just a substitute for her." I bit out with a little more vehemence than I'd intended.

"I'm not with you because I can't have Katherine." His lips compressed into a mutinous line.

"Yeah right." I snorted, getting up off the bed since it didn't seem like we'd be using it anytime soon.

"If I was then I'd want you just like you are right now because you're acting just like her." Damon scowled.

My brows climbed in surprise. "You're saying you don't want me like I am right now? Coulda fooled me with as hard as you've been trying to get into my pants."

Damon ran his hands through his hair in frustration, looking up at the ceiling. "That's because I'm so far gone I'll just take whatever crumbs you give me. But I'm tired of that. I want all of you Elena." His head came down, fixing me with an icy stare.

"What are you talking about?" I took a step backwards in spite of myself.

"You can't keep doing this. You can't keep shutting me and everyone else out of your heart because it makes you feel safe." Damon advanced, backing me up towards the wall.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I dropped my gaze, slipping out from between him and the wall, but he was faster, pushing me back up against the wall and pinning me there.

"I know it feels good on the surface but it's not a good idea in the long run. Trust me, I've been there."

"Trust you?" I gave a shaky laugh for good measure, not liking where this conversation was going.

"That's what this boils down to doesn't it? You don't trust me. You don't trust that I won't hurt you again. I know I hurt you Elena and its killing me."

"You can't hurt me if I don't let you." I used my words like a shield, willing it to be true.

"That's no way to live, without risk there's nothing to celebrate about life." His voice softened, eyes moving over my face.

"Oh god, did you read that on a bumper sticker," I laughed, refusing to buy into what he was selling.

"This isn't you Elena."

"No this _is _me." My eyes blazed with indignation. "No more poor Elena whose parents died, or weak Elena who needs a boyfriend to lean on, or scared Elena who does everything she's told because she's afraid of trying something new and failing. I don't have to be any of those things anymore, I can finally be myself, and I don't need anybody."

His eyes narrowed with something that might have been pain. "Then maybe I was wrong. Maybe I don't love you, because I can't stand to see you like this.

Love? I expected this sort of thing from Stefan, but was Damon really talking to me about love? I felt a twist of something where my heart used to be, but just as quickly it was gone. "Well I could never love a man who uses me like some cheap substitute when he can't get what he wants." I retorted.

Jeremy appeared at the bathroom door, drawn by the fight which had escalated into a shouting match. "What's going on? Elena, are you okay?"

"Now's not a good time kid." Damon all but snarled.

"Elena?" Jeremy stepped a little farther into the room, eyes going between us in puzzlement.

"It's none of your business." I replied coldly. "Just go light up and tune out like you always do."

"I was just trying to…"

"Yeah we get it kid, we just don't care." Damon interrupted him, barely giving him a second glance.

"Fine, you two deserve each other." Jeremy muttered, already turning back towards the bathroom when all of a sudden Damon had him pinned against the wall by the throat, faster than the human eye could track.

"I'm getting tired of your mouth." Damon growled, his fangs descending.

I gasped in surprise, distracted from our argument by the sight of Damon revealing his vampire nature to Jeremy. "Hey… not a smart idea."

"He's been asking for it from day one with his whiny, poor me attitude. What, you think you're the only one who ever lost his parents? Let me clue you in to a little something Jer, nobody gives a fuck about your messed up life, because everybody's life is messed up in their own way."

Jeremy's eyes bulged, hands scrabbling at the hand at his throat that was cutting off his air supply.

"Let him go, he didn't do anything to you." My eyes narrowed, wondering why the hell Damon was so ticked off with him for all of a sudden.

"I'm thinking he needs a little lesson in respecting his elders. Only you don't know just how elder I am to you boy. Or maybe I don't waste my time trying to educate such a pathetic excuse for a human being and just put you out of your misery? What do you think? Want to go see Mommy and Daddy?" Damon's eyes looked a little wild, and I wondered if he'd snapped now, sent his emotions packing or something worse.

"Damon…" My voice carried a warning as I tried to push him away from Jeremy, but his grip was like iron, far stronger than I could break. "You can't kill him."

"Why not?" He asked conversationally, as though we were talking about whether or not to squash a bug.

Jeremy's face was turning an alarming shade of purple, and I started to feel… uncomfortable. "B-Because…" I stammered, at a loss for words as I struggled to make sense of my roiling thoughts. "Because he's my brother." I said finally, not quite sure how to articulate it.

"So, who cares if he's your brother? No one will even notice he's gone, a kid like that, a troublemaker. Everyone will just assume he's a runaway." Damon's lips curved into a self satisfied smile, as if he'd already made the decision to do it.

I tugged on his arm again, nails digging into his flesh like claws. Jeremy looked close to passing out and I felt his time running out like the sands in an hourglass. "You can't just kill anyone you want Damon."

"Why not?" He pressed.

"Because I don't want you to." I pleaded, my distress growing with every passing moment.

"Why not?" Damon brought Jeremy away from the wall, shoving his face up real close to mine, his features still in pain."

"Because he's my brother!"

"You said that already Elena. Why can't I kill him?" He gave Jeremy a little shake for emphasis.

"Because I love him!" I all but yelled.

"Exactly!" Damon crowed, letting go of Jeremy who slumped to the floor in a heap, sucking in a greedy breath.

It was like something had exploded in my head as my emotions assaulted me all at once. Everything I'd held back for the past few days pulsing and throbbing within me, so overwhelming that my knees buckled, landing me on the floor beside my brother. "No, I don't want this!" Tears sprang to my eyes as I struggled to lock them all away again.

Damon was instantly at my side, gathering me into his arms. "Don't you dare push those feelings away. If I have to feel this way, so do you!" He growled, holding me tight.

"Leave me alone…" I wept miserably as the storm of emotion assailed me. The ability to process any of it escaped me, I just had to let it wash over me and hope that I would be able to pick up the pieces when it was over.

Instead he just held me tighter. "Nope, not gonna do that." Damon sighed, pressing a kiss to my temple. "I should never have let you go like that the other night. I should have let you beat the crap out of me, I deserved it. But I shouldn't have let you leave. I'm sorry Elena." He murmured into my hair.

"I can't do this…" It was too hard, there was too much. Far too tempting to switch it all off again, but I had no idea how I'd been able to manage it in the first place.

"Yes you can, you're strong, Elena. And you don't have to do it alone."

"You don't love me Damon, you love her. It's always been her, and it's always gonna be her." It hurt to say the words now, because I wanted it to be me, no matter what I'd said before.

"I don't, I really don't." Damon rocked me gently. "I wish there was some way to prove it to you… but that's why I couldn't stand to see you like that, all closed off. It was too much like her, and I realized I never wanted Katherine, not the real her. I wanted a fantasy that I'd built up around her, convincing myself all these years." He shook his head. "But you're real Elena, and you're mine."

"I don't know what to believe." I whispered, the pain still fresh and raw but bearable now with his arms around me.

"It's okay if you don't love me back. I know I haven't exactly given you much reason to." His voice sounded strained, and I looked up at him, swiping at my streaming eyes.

Did I love him? Things were moving too fast and my head was spinning. I tried to cast my mind back to how I'd felt before my meltdown but it almost felt like it had all happened to a different person. "Damon, I…"

"Don't." He shook his head.

"What's going on?" Jeremy croaked.

I'd almost forgotten he was still in the room, but now he was sitting up against the wall, hand rubbing the side of his neck.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, it was the only thing I could think of to get through to her." Damon shrugged as though it was no big deal.

"You tried to kill me!" Jeremy coughed, his eyes shooting daggers at Damon.

"No, I _pretended _to try and kill you. Big difference. Trust me kid, if I'd wanted to kill you I would have done it in a heartbeat." Damon gave him a wink.

I digested that for a moment, wondering just how far Damon would have gone to provoke a response out of me? "It's okay Jer. You won't remember any of this in the morning." I sighed, tired all of a sudden. "Would you mind doing the honors?" I looked to Damon.

"Yeah, no sweat." Damon agreed readily, letting go of me to rise gracefully to his feet and hauling Jeremy up with one hand. "Come one, it's time for beddy-bye." He smirked, dragging Jeremy off towards his room.

Left alone, I picked myself up off of the floor and blew my nose before kicking off my shoes and curling up in a ball on top of my bed.

Damon returned a few minutes later, and I could see the uncertainty on his face as he looked down at me. "Are you okay?"

"I've had better nights." I tried for a smile, but I don't think it was all that convincing from the way he hovered.

"Maybe you should get some rest?" He asked gently. "It's been a big night, all things considered."

"Yeah, I think that's probably for the best." I nodded, turning away to face the wall because it hurt too much to look at him.

"I… guess I should be going then."

Did I want him to go? Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I'd gotten used to him being around, and the bed felt empty without him in it. Did he even want to stay? But I had waited too long to reply, because when I rolled over to look at him he was gone.

**A/N: No new VD episode this week, boo! Ah well, maybe you guys will get an extra update out of me in the bargain. I'll see what I can do. **

**Oh I have an idea for another VD fanfic… Anyone ever seen the movie Unknown? This would be set in season 2, Elena, Katherine, Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Mason all wake up to find themselves trapped in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere… with amnesia. Nobody knows how they came to be there or how they might know each other, nobody knows that they're a vampire to start with, Elena and Katherine probably assume they're twin sisters… we get to see their true nature without all the past bogging them down. Could be fun… what do you guys think?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	21. Chapter 21

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**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Since you all asked so nicely… I skipped over my True Blood update seeing as how there's no vampire diaries episode on this week, and we all need our fix. I have had some questions on whether or not I'll bring Katherine into this one, and I'm thinking no. She's enough of a presence out there right now that I don't feel like I need to bring her into this one.**

**And since you liked the last time I did this, I'll throw in a scene from Damon's POV for free.**

"_You tried to kill me!" Jeremy coughed, his eyes shooting daggers at Damon._

"_No, I pretended to try and kill you. Big difference. Trust me kid, if I'd wanted to kill you I would have done it in a heartbeat." Damon gave him a wink._

_I digested that for a moment, wondering just how far Damon would have gone to provoke a response out of me? "It's okay Jer. You won't remember any of this in the morning." I sighed, tired all of a sudden. "Would you mind doing the honors?" I looked to Damon._

"_Yeah, no sweat." Damon agreed readily, letting go of me to rise gracefully to his feet and hauling Jeremy up with one hand. "Come one, it's time for beddy-bye." He smirked, dragging Jeremy off towards his room._

_Left alone, I picked myself up off of the floor and blew my nose before kicking off my shoes and curling up in a ball on top of my bed. _

_Damon returned a few minutes later, and I could see the uncertainty on his face as he looked down at me. "Are you okay?"_

"_I've had better nights." I tried for a smile, but I don't think it was all that convincing from the way he hovered. _

"_Maybe you should get some rest?" He asked gently. "It's been a big night, all things considered."_

"_Yeah, I think that's probably for the best." I nodded, turning away to face the wall because it hurt too much to look at him. _

"_I… guess I should be going then." _

_Did I want him to go? Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I'd gotten used to him being around, and the bed felt empty without him in it. Did he even want to stay? But I had waited too long to reply, because when I rolled over to look at him he was gone. _

_

* * *

_

Lexi and Stefan were in the living room of the boarding house when Damon came in, slamming the door behind him. Twin looks of surprise came from the pair and Damon was surprised to see them, having figured they would be heading for bed soon, neither of them having magical rings that allowed them out in the daylight. Sucked to be them. "So you are here, nice to see you again Lexi." He said with barely a look in her direction on the way to the bar. Catching up on old times was the farthest thing from his mind. No, what he wanted was that blurring of emotion and memory that only copious amounts of alcohol brought on.

Lexi's brow rose as she traded looks with Stefan. "What? No smarmy come on? Damon is that really you?" She teased.

"The one and only." Damon raised his drink before draining half of it in one gulp. He was gonna have to make a trip to the liquor store soon if he kept this up.

"Where have you been?" Stefan asked.

"One guess." Damon replied, keeping his back to the pair. The last thing he needed was judgment from either of them on how he'd handled things. He was very well aware of his mistakes, thank you very much.

"I'll just let you boys talk." Lexi excused herself, rising from the couch and heading up to the guest room upstairs.

"Did you see her?" Stefan didn't have to say who he meant.

"Oh I saw her alright." Damon gave a tight smile.

"Is she still…"

"Bucking for best Katherine impression 2010? No, Elena's back to her good old self again."

Stefan's brows rose in surprise. "She is? How did you do that?"

Damon refilled his drink and then sank into an armchair, holding the cool glass to his forehead for a moment. "I wish I could say that I confessed my undying love for her and she ran to me with open arms, but I had to try and kill her brother."

"You did what?" Stefan demanded, rising to his feet.

"Oh relax, he's fine. I didn't hurt him much, just enough to get her to snap out of it." Damon waved away his concern.

Stefan relaxed his stance, but didn't regain his seat. "So she's back to normal now?"

"Yep, so you'd best hop on over there, quick like a bunny, and make your bid for her." Damon wiggled his fingers doing his best impression of a scampering animal, his lips twisting into a smirk.

"I don't think she wants to see me very much. She told me she was through with both of us." Stefan leaned against the arm of the sofa, his brow furrowed with deep thoughts.

Damon snorted. "Yeah well I'm guessing she stuck to that plan for about an hour, tops."

Pain twisted Stefan's features. "So you and she…"

It would have been easy to lash out just then, but something kept him from twisting the knife. Damon shook his head. "It doesn't matter. She's convinced I'm in love with Katherine and was just using her to get my jollies." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. One slip of the tongue. Just one, and it had doomed him to an eternity without the one woman who had truly wormed her way into his heart.

"Were you?"

"Ouch. Not you too brother. Elena's her own person, I would have thought you'd be the person who knew that the best. I just need to let her cool off a bit." Then she'd have to accept his apologies, right?

Stefan gained his feet again, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm not gonna let you hurt her again."

Stefan to the rescue… where was a stake when he wanted one? "Yeah? And what are you gonna do to stop me?" Not that he had any intention of hurting Elena, but the idea that Stefan had appointed himself her guardian just pricked at his last nerve.

"Anything I have to. I happen to love her." Stefan's chin came up and Damon resisted the urge to take a swing at it.

"Well so do I." Damon retorted, eyes alight with baleful fire; almost daring him to challenge him over this.

"You don't know the meaning of love." Stefan scoffed.

"And you're such an expert? You had her. How bad did you screw things up for her to run to _me _of all people?" Damon taunted him, spoiling for a fight.

"I just know that she and I had a good thing going before you came to town and messed things up." Stefan retorted.

"I could say the same thing."

Stefan let out a short bark of laughter. "Oh no, you messed this one up all by yourself."

Damon was silent at that. He had a point. All at once the fight went out of him. "Maybe you _should_ go talk to her. Get things out in the open, see if you can patch things up." If that was what Elena truly wanted… he couldn't stand in the way of that, could he?

"What?" Stefan blinked, not having expected that sudden capitulation.

Rising to his feet, Damon stopped at the bar to refill his glass, but set the bottle down instead, leaving the alcohol behind. "Maybe you're right, maybe all I know how to bring her is pain."

Stefan stared at him, at a loss for words.

Damon left him standing there, heading for the stairs with leaden feet. He paused on the landing, without turning around. "If you hurt her… I'll kill you."

*** back to Elena's POV ***

I slept like the dead for most of the next day, waking every now and again with a lump in my throat the size of Texas when I saw the empty space beside me in bed. As evening painted long shadows against my bedroom walls, I realized that I couldn't just lie in bed for the rest of my life. Sure I could lie there and feel sorry for myself for a day or thirty, but it wouldn't change anything. The only way to clear the air was to go right to the source and hash things out.

And that meant the Salvatore brothers.

After a shower and change, I hopped into Damon's car, heading over to the boarding house. Only the closer I got to their place, the more it felt like I was gonna fly apart at the seams. What started off as butterflies in my stomach turned into swallows and eventually I almost felt like I was getting seasick. When had I gotten so nervous about seeing them? Oh how I craved the simplicity of simply shutting down my emotions again, but the trick eluded me.

Even at the slowest pace, I drove up to the house before too long and sat there, hands clenching the steering wheel as I seriously debated turning around and going back home again to leave this for another day. No matter how things went inside there, by the time I left, someone was gonna end up hurt, if not all of us.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself out of the car and up the stairs to ring the bell. Stefan answered the door a heartbeat later, and I wondered if he'd been watching my arrival from the window? At the last second I chickened out, "Hi, I'm here to see Lexi, is she still here?"

"Uh yeah, come on in." Stefan stepped back, his surprise clearly written all over his face and maybe a tinge of hurt.

"Thanks." I replied, giving him a tight smile, feeling like the biggest coward. For all I knew Lexi didn't even want to see me after how I'd blown Stefan off the other night, but she was the closest thing I had to a friend at the moment, and I desperately needed some perspective on things.

"Elena." Lexi smiled widely, walking towards us immediately. "This is a surprise."

"Oh, if you're busy…"

"Not at all, come on in." Her eyes flicked between us, and she sidled up to me and linked her arm through mine. "I think I'll just steal her away if you don't mind." Lexi winked at Stefan, drawing me towards the stairs.

I followed her lead, grateful to have her acceptance and keeping silent until the door was shut behind us.

Lexi led me to a small sitting area inside the guest room and plopped down in a chair. "So? I hear you're back in the Land of Confusion."

"Huh?" I stared back at her, sinking into the other chair.

"Lost in Emotion? Not ringing a bell? 80's songs, nevermind." Lexi shook her head. "How are you doing? Okay?"

"I'm… okay. Trying to deal with it anyway." I shrugged, not sure how to describe the conflicting emotions inside of me. "I just felt like if I kept it all inside of me any longer, my head might explode, you know?"

"So spill." Lexi prompted me with a nod.

"I don't know where to begin…" I tried to marshal my thoughts into a coherent chain of events. "I told you before about what Damon did, or more to the point what he said."

"Yeah, and it made you go all Stepford-Elena." Lexi nodded.

"So, he wants me to believe that it was just an honest mistake, and that he loves me."

"Do you believe him?"

"Would you?"

Lexi's head canted to one side as she thought that one over. "Offhand I'd say no, but then again, Damon never professed to love me before. Of course, I've never heard him profess to love anyone before, not since the big K."

"He says he never really loved her, he just loved an image of her he'd built up in his head. But you said he was miserable after he thought she'd died, right? It sounds like he loved her well enough."

"Maybe, but that was a long time ago." Lexi's sharp teeth worried at her bottom lip. "I've mistaken infatuation for love before. It sure feels like the real thing at the time and then with a little bit of perspective, you're smacking yourself later for being so stupid."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." I allowed.

"Do you love him back?"

"I don't know." I buried my face in my hands.

"What about Stefan? Now that your heart's back in the right place do you feel anything for him?"

"I don't know that either." My voice was muffled by my hands and I let go of my face, sitting up. "Things between us were… strained. Even before I was turned, and afterwards. I know he's a great guy, and I know he loves me but… how can I say this…"

"You don't have those same feelings for him that you used to." Lexi supplied and I nodded.

"I don't know when it happened exactly, but… I keep thinking… if I really and truly belonged with Stefan, then I wouldn't have these feelings for Damon, would I? So isn't it just more cruel to him in the long run to string him along?"

"Hey, I'm all for the quick and painful ripping off a bandaid approach, just… don't expect him to be happy about it."

"I know, I hate to bring him anymore pain. How am I supposed to face him knowing that I told him I was through with both of them and then Damon…"

"Damon really got to you, didn't he?" Lexi studied me carefully.

And there was my answer, staring me in the face with stark clarity.

I was in love with Damon.

Why else would it have upset me so much when he'd called me Katherine? And why else had I let him back into my bed even when I'd been furious with him on some buried level? It was why it hurt so much when he'd left that morning, and why it had been his face I'd been hoping for when I arrived at the boarding house.

"God help me…" I murmured, in a daze.

"Beg your pardon?" Lexi raised a brow.

"I'm in love with him." Lurching to my feet, I headed for the door, no longer content to keep this to myself. "I have to talk to Stefan."

"Wait… which one are you in love with?" Lexi's pretty face crumpled in confusion.

"Thanks for the girl talk Lexi, I'll catch you later, okay?" I gave her a distracted smile, pulling the door open, only to find Damon standing across the hallway. "Damon…"

"Elena." He replied nonchalantly.

"I… how are you?" Anything I'd been about to say fell out of my head at seeing him for the first time since my revelation.

"Can't complain." Damon shrugged. "Well actually I can, but who wants to hear that?" The corner of his mouth tugged up into a smile.

"I was hoping we could talk…"

"Oh?" He started to walk towards me, losing some of that indifference.

"But first I need to talk to Stefan." I continued. I had to put things straight between us before I started thinking about trying to carve out any kind of future with his brother.

The look of hurt was so fleeting, I almost thought I'd imagined it and just as quickly his usual smirk was in place. "I think you'll find him in his bedroom. I'm sure you remember the way." Damon brushed past me then without so much as a glance in my direction.

"Damon… wait."

"Have a good… talk." He called without looking back.

Super. Now Damon was having some kind of male hissy fit and I was tempted to go after him and talk to him first. But our conversations tended to end up with either kissing or fighting (usually kissing) and I wanted to get things settled with Stefan first. There would be plenty of time to hash things out with Damon. Or so I thought.

Continuing down the hall, I paused at Stefan's door, my hand raised to knock, but he pulled the door open before I had the chance.

"Hello Elena." Stefan smiled warmly. A little too warmly for a man who I'd recently told I didn't want to have anything to do with him. "Come on in."

"Thanks." I smiled, stepping into his room. "I thought we should talk."

"I know. I ah… Lexi's room is right next to mine so…"

I stared at him, not taking his meaning.

"I overheard your conversation with Lexi."

"You were spying on me?" My brows shot skywards.

"I'm sorry… I just wanted to know what was going on with you, if you were okay."

Still a little stunned, I wondered why he was so smiley then, if he'd heard me say I didn't love him like I used to. "So you heard… everything?"

"I did." He nodded, "But I don't care."

"What do you mean you don't care?" I frowned. Had he heard the same conversation I remembered?

"Damon's the one who turned you, and his is the first blood you've ever tasted. That forms a bond between you, I get that."

"Stefan, it's more than that…."

"Ah but how can you be so sure?" His lips tilted into a faint smile. "You and I have something Elena, something that goes beyond whatever physical attraction you have for my brother. Don't throw away everything we have."

"We had something Stefan, had." I clarified, not quite sure what to make of this Stefan.

Stefan nodded slowly, taking a step towards me, and another. "I see. And I'm supposed to just what? Slink away to brood somewhere while Damon yet again tries to ruin everything I have just to prove that he can?" He shook his head.

"Stefan…" I swallowed, "I can't…"

"I wish I could just step aside but I can't do that. I love you Elena, and I always will." He gazed deep into my eyes and I stood transfixed, stunned at this profession of love from him even after he knew I wanted Damon.

Reaching up, his thumbs brushed over my jaw. "Somewhere deep inside I think you know that, and I think you love me too." My lips parted to object and he covered my mouth with his. Gentle, tender Stefan was gone. This Stefan was demanding, taking what he wanted.

Out of habit or desire, I was never sure, but I kissed him back for a full ten seconds before my brain kicked in and I shoved against his chest, pulling my lips from his. "No Stefan. I belong with Damon." My voice sounded hoarse to my ears, lips throbbing from the kiss.

Just as quickly that easy smile was back on his lips. "Okay. But I'm not going anywhere. Damon had no problems going after you while we were together, well this time I'm gonna take a page from his book. Sooner or later you'll see Damon for what he is, and I'll be there."

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it, I have to say that the Grrr Stefan of season 2 inspired me for this shift in Stefan at the end. But don't worry, scene with Damon coming up next!**

**So yes, the idea I had for the amnesia vampire diaries is much like Tabula Rasa from Buffy, you guys are right, only they're trapped in one place and forced to interact, like in the movie Unknown. So here's the next question for you guys. Would you rather see that fanfic next, or the sequel to Roadtrip? Or secret option number three?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**Great questions in feedback this week! I try to reply to all of them privately, but I'll address some of them here too. No, Stefan hasn't flipped his switch, but I think it'll be interesting to see the brothers switch roles to some extent, with Stefan being on the outside looking in and trying to win Elena back. **

**Thanks IkeaGoddess for reminding me that I forgot to have her give Stefan the ring back! It was my intention, but I totally forgot! I'll address that in this update.**

**I won't say that there's zero chance of Katherine popping up ever, but remember this is much earlier in the "season" for when it's set, so she's not in a position to show up any time soon. I admit, I do love the chemistry between her and Stefan. So depending on how long this puppy goes on for, it's conceivable that she could turn up eventually. Or perhaps in a sequel.**

**We'll definitely see more of Bonnie and Alaric though and possibly Isobel or Anna sometime soon.**

"_Stefan…" I swallowed, "I can't…" _

"_I wish I could just step aside but I can't do that. I love you Elena, and I always will." He gazed deep into my eyes and I stood transfixed, stunned at this profession of love from him even after he knew I wanted Damon. _

_Reaching up, his thumbs brushed over my jaw. "Somewhere deep inside I think you know that, and I think you love me too." My lips parted to object and he covered my mouth with his. Gentle, tender Stefan was gone. This Stefan was demanding, taking what he wanted. _

_Out of habit or desire, I was never sure, but I kissed him back for a full ten seconds before my brain kicked in and I shoved against his chest, pulling my lips from his. "No Stefan. I belong with Damon." My voice sounded hoarse to my ears, lips throbbing from the kiss._

_Just as quickly that easy smile was back on his lips. "Okay. But I'm not going anywhere. Damon had no problems going after you while we were together, well this time I'm gonna take a page from his book. Sooner or later you'll see Damon for what he is, and I'll be there." _

My eyes dropped to his heavy ring on my finger and I twisted it around my knuckle for a moment before tugging it off and holding it out to him. "No, I won't Stefan. I know exactly what Damon is, and what he isn't and he's the one I want." Damon had been the one there for me day in and day out. He wasn't perfect, but then again neither was I, but we fit together, I didn't know how else to explain it.

"Keep it." Stefan refused to accept the ring, clasping his hands behind his back.

"I don't need it." I insisted, holding it out just as stubbornly as he refused it.

"You say that now…"

"Fine." Setting it atop a table, I turned to leave, pausing by the door. "I'm sorry Stefan, but it really is over." With a final determined look, I left the room, but not before his reply drifted to my ears…

"For now…"

Refusing to dignify that with a response, my feet carried me at top speed across the hallway and down the stairs, eager to talk to Damon. I didn't spot him at first, so I paused, head canting to one side as I extended my senses in search of him. I could feel that he was nearby, our connection gave me that much information. The trouble with vampires though, is that unless they're making much noise, they're nearly impossible to hear.

So it was that Damon completely got the jump on me as I wandered into a little used parlor.

"Done already? That was fast. Doesn't exactly speak much for his skills now does it." Damon emerged from the shadows, drink in hand.

"Jesus… you scared me." I jumped, whirling to face him. "What are you talking about?"

"Your little… chat with Stefan. Get everything settled between you?"

"Sort of." My brows drew together as I thought about Stefan's parting words. Somehow I didn't think "settled" was the right word. But I didn't want to think of that for the moment.

"Swell, I'm happy for you." Damon turned his back on me, moving to take a seat on the sofa.

I stared after him, trying to figure out if he'd overheard part of the conversation between me and Stefan, was he grouchy that Stefan had put in another play for me? "I wanted to talk to you…"

"Yep, that's what you said before. Go ahead, let's get it over with." He said morosely.

"About what you said…" I began, moving to sit beside him.

"I said a lot of things." A careless shrug was given.

"You said that you loved me." I reminded him.

"Actually I think I said that I must have been wrong, that I _wasn't_ in love with you."

I found myself about to step right back into the argument with him again, and forced myself to stop and take a breath. "Stop playing games Damon, did you mean it or not?"

Damon looked at me for a long moment, and I thought that finally he would give up this pretense and tell me something real, but then his face shuttered. "I would have said anything to get you to switch your emotions back on."

"So that's all it was? A ploy to get me to feel again?" My eyes narrowed.

"Pretty much. Too bad it didn't work." Damon took another drink.

"I'm feeling plenty, believe me." I muttered.

"Yeah but it wasn't my love to bring you back, was it?" He retorted, and I could see the hurt on his face, no matter how he'd tried to play it off that he didn't care.

"That's a matter of opinion." True the actual emotion that broke through for me was love for my brother, but it was because of Damon's love that he'd bothered to try and get through to me at all instead of leaving me to my emotionless state the way Stefan had.

"I saw you Elena, I saw you kissing Stefan."

"What? When?" I hadn't expected him to say that at all.

"Just now, upstairs."

How in the hell had he seen that? Was that why he was so bent out of shape? "He kissed me." I insisted.

"Still was his tongue in your mouth." He shot back.

"Stefan told me that he still loved me."

"Spare me the details if you don't mind." Damon rose, heading for the door.

"And I told him, that my heart already belongs to you."

That halted him in his tracks, but he didn't turn to look at me. "Don't… don't screw with me, not about this. I know I hurt you…"

In a flash I was between him and the double doors, pushing them closed before he could leave. "You really think that's what this is about? Payback?" I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm saying I love you, Damon."

"I mean it Elena. Don't say that unless you mean it." He pleaded with me, desperation in his voice.

"Damon, this whole time you've been able to tell what I truly wanted; before I even knew it myself. Can't you tell what I'm feeling now?" This was it, he would either blow me off again to preserve his own heart, or let me in.

Damon rushed towards me, pinning me against the door, his cool fingers caressing the side of my face in wonder. "You love me." He breathed, hardly daring to say it out loud.

"Only if you love me back. Otherwise…" My lips twisted into a wry grin as my hands slid up his chest.

"No, no otherwise." He gathered me up into his arms, and we clung to each other fiercely. "You can't take it back now, you're stuck with me." Damon murmured into my hair and I laughed as he swung me around fast enough to make my head spin.

"I like the sound of that." I pulled back to look into his beautiful blue eyes as he set me back down on the ground again.

"I love you Elena." Damon laid a soft kiss to my lips, gently coaxing my mouth open to accept him.

My arms stole up around his shoulders, fingers stroking the soft hair at the back of his neck. Leaning up on my tiptoes, I pulled my mouth from his to breathe at his ear. "Show me."

That was all the invitation he needed. Scooping me up into his arms, Damon showed me what true speed was, rushing us up to his bedroom. The next thing I knew I'd been deposited gently upon his bed and he was locking the door.

There was the briefest of hesitation that went through my mind, thinking about Stefan and Lexi being in the house, but as Damon came towards me, I just didn't care. We had been a long time in coming to this moment, and even though we'd gone to bed together before, I had never felt the anticipation I had in that moment. That was just sex; this was about sharing our love and starting a new life together.

Okay, maybe it was a little bit about the sex.

Damon fell into bed beside me, covering my body with his. My arms opened to embrace his welcome weight and for long minutes all we did was make out like a couple of kids in the back seat of a car. There was none of the sharp need that had colored the last time we'd been together. This time there was the sense that we had all night to enjoy each other. Hell, we had eternity.

When I tried to take things to the next level, tugging at his shirt, Damon gently pulled my hands away, pressing them over my head. "Let me." He purred at my ear. "Let me show you." His long fingers brushed over the buttons of my top, and he pressed a soft, open mouthed kiss to each inch of skin he revealed, slowly working his way south.

Content to let him take control for now, I laid back, my fingers sinking into his dark hair as he slowly worked to divest me of my clothing. Soon I was laid bare before him, but I didn't feel self conscious even though he was still fully clothed. And then there were no thoughts, only the sensations he was wringing from my body while his talented hands and mouth worked their magic. To this day, I have never forgotten the rasp of his tongue on my heated flesh or the blinding bliss, until I lay gasping, dizzy with pleasure.

"My turn." I gave him a mischievous smile, full of promise. Turnabout was fair play after all. He was already hard and straining at the seams at bringing me to release and I was prepared to show him just how much I loved him too, not to be outdone. Taking a page from his book, first I undressed him, letting my eyes look their fill. This beautiful man was all mine. I'd always thought he was a sexy beast, even when he was being infuriating, what woman didn't? But it was the love in his eyes that was my undoing.

I teased and tempted him, exacting my own method of torture, each sound of pleasure I wrung from him sending a jolt of corresponding pleasure through me. Damon bucked under me, finding it hard to lie still. I loved the sound of my name on his lips, reveling in the power I had over him in that moment. Wanting desperately to make him feel the same thing he'd made me feel, I stepped up my attack, pitching him closer to oblivion.

Suddenly I was on my back with Damon looming over me, his eyes ablaze with need. Before I could utter a single word, he joined our bodies together, binding me to him with ties that went beyond the physical.

This was different, this was new.

Not in the way of trying something new and risqué in the bedroom (because I was sure that Damon could teach me a trick or two), but this affected me in a way that I'd never felt before. Like our souls were touching, entwining together in a way that could never be parted again.

Closer and closer we moved together, each of us reaching for that peak and yet never wanting it to end. This time it was me who first bit into his perfect skin, drawing sharply against his flesh, surrounding myself with his essence. Quick to follow, Damon bit me in kind and it was that extra joining that pushed us both over that precipice to tumble together into sweet oblivion. We stayed joined like that for a long time, neither of us wanting to move, and I saw my own deep satisfaction mirrored on his face.

"You can show me that anytime." I smiled lazily.

"I just might take you up on that." A self satisfied smirk was firmly set on his lips as rolled over, taking me with him, pulling me close.

With a luxurious stretch, I propped my head up on his chest so I could look down at him. "I feel too good to fall asleep, what do you want to do tonight before I turn into a pumpkin?"

"Pumpkin?" He stared at me blankly.

"No more magic ring." I waggled my bare fingers at him. "So I've gotta be inside by morning." I wasn't looking forward to it, but it was for the best. It just wasn't fair for me to hold on to Stefan's ring.

"Oh, I didn't think about that." Damon frowned, picking up my hand and bringing it to his lips. "I could always sit on him and you could steal it back."

A laugh bubbled out of me as I pictured that image, Damon cheerfully sitting atop his brother who wriggled and squirmed. "Thanks, but no thanks. I gave the ring back to him of my own free will. I don't want to be beholden to him for anything."

"I can understand that." He considered aloud. "We'll figure something out, don't worry." Damon pressed a kiss to my hair.

"It's okay, I mean I can get used to it. Most vampires don't have spiffy magic rings, do they?" Especially if I decided to stay away from school… which I was still up in the air over. Part of me was horrified at the way I'd run roughshod over Jenna's memories and how I'd spoken to Mr. Saltzman. Had I really threatened to say he'd touched me inappropriately if he didn't leave me alone? I had some serious fast talking to do the next time I ran into him. And Matt… and Bonnie… Maybe it was better if I stayed away from school altogether for a while…?

"I guess we'd better make the most of the night then, shouldn't we?" Damon flipped me over onto my back again, that familiar hunger in his eyes.

"You know, this is something we can do inside when it's light out." I pointed out, giggling as his teeth scraped over my delicate flesh.

"Not if you're sleeping the sleep of the dead."

"You could always give me more of whatever was in those little vials." I remembered suddenly.

Damon pulled back, a guilty look flashing over his face. "Yeah, about those… that was less of a 'me trying to help you out' thing as it was a 'trying to get you to be dependent on me' kind of thing. It's actually not a great idea for you to take them for very long." He admitted, looking contrite.

"You were trying to hook me on vamp drugs?" My mouth fell open in shock.

"No, not on the drugs exactly, they're not addictive in and of themselves, but they take their toll after a while. But you wanted to go to school, and I wanted you to come to me, not Stefan, to give you what you needed so…"

"So you put yourself in a position to pimp them out for kisses or whatever."

"Don't be mad Elena, I wouldn't have let you actually hurt yourself over them." Damon pressed a kiss to my jaw, working his way back to my ear. "And I didn't take anything you weren't willing to give." He had a point there.

"Hey, no fair doing that when I'm trying to be angry with you." I muttered, but it was hard to stay mad when he kept kissing me.

"Well in that case, let me show you again how much you mean to me." Damon kissed me more seriously then, intent on making me forget anything but the heat that was building between us again.

And he did. Oh how he did…

**A/N: Ok so mixed reviews on which story to work on next, Tabula Rasa Diaries or European Roadtrip. In all fairness, I will tell you more about secret option number three: So it would be set right about where we are now in Season 2 and Damon decides that he can't stand the idea of Elena hating him any longer, so he manages a spell to help her forget her anger towards him. Only it makes her forget EVERYTHING. But, as soon as he realizes this, he secrets her away from friends and family, and convinces her that she's HIS sweetie, not Stefan's, spinning a whole alternate life for them together. Will Elena accept him at his word and lead to a bit of Delena action? What will she do when she finds out he's been lying to her? **

**Yes, I am on an amnesia kick right now, no idea why, I'm just gonna run with it. :P**

**Feedback is Love People**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I'm glad you guys liked the hearts and flowers, but on to the drama! **

"_You were trying to hook me on vamp drugs?" My mouth fell open in shock._

"_No, not on the drugs exactly, they're not addictive in and of themselves, but they take their toll after a while. But you wanted to go to school, and I wanted you to come to me, not Stefan, to give you what you needed so…"_

"_So you put yourself in a position to pimp them out for kisses or whatever."_

"_Don't be mad Elena, I wouldn't have let you actually hurt yourself over them." Damon pressed a kiss to my jaw, working his way back to my ear. "And I didn't take anything you weren't willing to give." He had a point there. _

"_Hey, no fair doing that when I'm trying to be angry with you." I muttered, but it was hard to stay mad when he kept kissing me. _

"_Well in that case, let me show you again how much you mean to me." Damon kissed me more seriously then, intent on making me forget anything but the heat that was building between us again. _

_And he did. Oh how he did…_

__

_

* * *

_

We had planned to go out and take advantage of the night, but one thing led to another… and another… and eventually we fell asleep in an exhausted haze of pleasure. It was closer to dawn than I would have liked when I awoke. Swearing under my breath, I disentangled myself from Damon's limbs and slid out of bed to search for my clothes.

"Where you going…?" Damon murmured sleepily, his face half buried into the pillow as he felt me move away from him.

"I have to get home before dawn or I'll turn into a crispy critter, remember?"

"Stay here with me." Lunging forward, he caught me around the waist, tumbling me back into the bed against him.

Toppled off balance with my jeans half on and half off, I giggled as he wrapped his arms around my and buried his head into my shoulder, his eyes still closed. "I wish I could, but I really should go home. I've got some amends to make there, and I want to make sure Jeremy's really okay after the other night."

Damon popped one eye open for a dubious stare. "They're fine Elena, come back to bed."

For some reason I just couldn't do it, no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn't just blow off my family and besides, I was thinking it might be a little weird being there with Stefan now that I wasn't being distracted. "I don't live here."

"Maybe you should."

I looked down at Damon, expecting to see that familiar smirk on his face, but he looked completely serious. Was he really asking me to move in with him? "Are you serious? You don't think that's a little fast?"

"Why wait? I love you, you love me… why not be together?" A half shrug was given.

"Well for starters I'm still under eighteen. Jenna's my legal guardian and it's up to her where I live."

"I see no problem with that whatsoever."

I shook my head, "I think I've done enough damage to the inside of her head lately, I'd rather keep the invasions to a minimum if you don't mind."

"So okay, what about after your birthday?" He pressed.

This was a much bigger topic than I'd wanted to get into at that time of the morning. "I think… we should talk about this when I'm not pressed for time to get home before the dawn."

Damon nodded, and I could practically see the emotion draining away from his face as he put on his indifferent mask. Leaning down, I pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Damon, I'm not saying no, I'm saying it's a big decision and I don't want to rush into anything. And I really do have to go."

"Okay, then I'm coming with you." He decided, throwing back the covers and giving me an eyeful as he pulled on his clothes.

For a moment I was too distracted by the sight to process what he'd said. "Wait, what? You don't have to do that, I'll be just fine."

"It's ok, it won't kill me to go old school for a while, sleep by day, hunt by night." Damon's eyes flashed with mischief. "Besides I'd like to be there just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"Just in case."

* * *

"Elena?" Jenna's voice filtered through the door along with a sharp rap.

Lifting my head drowsily, I tried to see past Damon's shoulder to the clock on the bedside table, groaning when I caught sight of the time. It was still light outside, but my shutters were closed up tight, keeping me out of direct sunlight.

"Yeah?" I called out tiredly before realizing that she might take that as an invitation to enter. Worriedly, I shook Damon's shoulder. "Hey, you can't be here."

Damon yawned, looking unconcerned. "Relax, I took care of it." He whispered back, kicking back to rest his head against his hands.

Looking down, I saw that he was wearing his jeans, which meant he'd gotten up at some point while I'd slept. I wasn't sure if I should be worried about that or not…

"Elena, can you come downstairs please? I'd like to talk to you." Jenna called out.

"Yeah just give me a minute, I'll be right down." Sitting up, I waited a bit to make sure she'd left before asking Damon for a little clarification. "What do you mean you took care of it?" All I got out of him was a wink before he disappeared into my bathroom to fix his hair. I swear sometimes he primps more than I do.

I was less picky with my appearance, pulling on some clothes and running my fingers through my hair. Vampire genes were forgiving enough that I didn't have to do more to look presentable. Not sure if I should wait for him or not, I hesitated by the door, waiting for Damon before I ventured forth from my bedroom.

Giving me a quick kiss to the cheek, Damon moved past me to go first, I guess he thought he was shielding me from something, though what that might be in my own home I wasn't sure. Until I saw him move to the living room windows to draw the curtains and I gave him a thankful smile.

Jenna didn't bat an eye when Damon appeared, but her guest sure did. Mr. Saltzman rose to his feet, backing up a few feet and watching Damon warily.

"Um, what's up?" I asked, wondering if I was gonna be in trouble for my little talk with Mr. Saltzman. Only Jenna didn't have that look like she was waiting to read me the riot act. She practically glowed, her eyes on the teacher.

"Oh, I ran into Alaric at the grocery store and we got to talking and I invited him over for dinner." Jenna replied, darting a quick smile in Alaric's direction.

"Okaaaay." I nodded, wondering what that had to do with me exactly. "That sounds nice." Giving him a polite nod, I watched him watch Damon finish with the drapes and return to my side. "Ah this is Damon Salvatore, Damon this is Alaric Saltzman. He teaches at the high school."

"Good to meet you, man." Damon offered his hand, studying Alaric just as intently as he watched him.

"Oh I already know you, Damon." Alaric responded, accepting his hand.

Damon's head canted to one side at that, clearly puzzled by the remark. "Have we met before?"

"Well, let's just say your reputation precedes you."

"I wish I could say the same but…" Damon gave a careless shrug.

Warning bells were going off in my head as I watched the men interact. There was more to Mr. Saltzman than met the eye, I just didn't know how that might affect us.

"Elena, why don't you come and give me a hand in the kitchen?" Jenna asked, though her attention was focused on Alaric, a silly smile on her face.

"Actually… I was hoping to have a chance to chat with Elena. If you don't mind, maybe Damon can give you a hand in the kitchen?" Alaric smiled genially.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Damon replied, eyes flashing dangerously as he stayed by my side.

"Let's not do this…" I piped up, feeling Damon tense at my side. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Or maybe we could talk after dinner?"

"What am I missing guys?" Jenna asked, looking from one to the other.

"Nothing." Alaric gave a conciliatory smile. "It's nothing that can't wait till later. I've learned to be a patient man." His eyes lit upon Damon again.

_Uh oh._ Clearly he was not a Damon fan. Which, let's face it, given Damon's inclination to be kind of a dick sometimes, wasn't all that surprising.

"Okay then, we'll be right back, don't go anywhere." Jenna grinned, tugging me towards the kitchen.

I allowed myself to be dragged along, though I was dying to know what would be said between them in the other room. Unfortunately, Jenna was busy chattering away, keeping me from being able to listen in.

"Why didn't you tell me your teacher was such a fox!" She giggled, as soon as we were in the kitchen.

"Um, maybe because he's old?" I replied without thinking, but I had to bite my tongue afterwards as I realized that Damon was older by a landslide. It might have creeped me out a bit if I'd stopped to think about it, but I resolutely pushed that thought from my mind.

"He is not!" She gasped, pulling open the fridge. For the next fifteen minutes, she chattered happily about how well they'd been getting along so far, and I listened as best I could, still straining to hear what was happening out in the living room. In the end I just gave up, smiling back over Jenna's obvious excitement over the "hot" teacher. At least I didn't hear the sounds of any broken furniture coming from the other room.

Dinner was… interesting. Whatever had been said between the two men, when we emerged from the kitchen, Alaric looked a little worried and paler than he had been before we left and I felt like he was dividing his attention between watching me and watching Damon.

Damon looked… well like Damon; his usual cocky expression in place, as though he had everything under control.

Jenna was oblivious, enjoying the impromptu dinner party, Jeremy was conspicuously absent.

After dinner, Damon surprised us all I think, by offering to help Jenna with the dishes. I shot him a quick glance, and tried to relax when he gave me a wink. Then it was just Mr. Saltzman and me, sitting in the living room.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" I asked, wondering if he'd bring up the last time we talked.

Instead he caught me completely off guard. "I knew your mother, your real mother."

"What?" I blinked.

"Isobel, your mother… she was my wife."

"I don't… I think you might have me confused with someone else." I shook my head, a sinking feeling emerging in the pit of my stomach.

"I know all about you, your connection to Katherine…"

"We don't say the K word here." Damon's voice cut in as he rejoined us. "Don't worry, we won't be disturbed until we're ready."

"What did you do to Jenna?" Alaric demanded, rising to his feet.

"Chillax Romeo, she's fine. She's just suddenly interested in cleaning the grout in the kitchen, we've got plenty of time to hash all of this out. Now then, you were saying?"

Reaching for Damon's hand, I twined my fingers with his, needing his support. "What is it that you think you know about me and my connection to Katherine?"

Alaric looked at our joined hands, an expression I couldn't read coming over his face. "Ah, like I said, I was… am, married to your mother Isobel."

"My mother is Miranda Gilbert."

"No, that was your adoptive mother. I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but… ask Jenna, she'll tell you it's the truth." Alaric replied gently and he did look like he regretted having to be the one to tell me.

Damon looked stunned. "Isobel was Elena's mother?"

"Like you didn't know." Alaric growled.

"Wait, you knew this Isobel?" I wasn't sure what to be stunned by more, the fact that I'd been adopted, or that Damon had known my birth mother. Was that why there had been so much tension between them earlier?

"I didn't… it's not like she pulled out a brag book of baby pictures or anything when I knew her. You know what she was like." Damon gave him a sour look.

My head was starting to spin. "Can we please go back to the beginning where the family I grew up with is not my family?"

"She was young, still in high school and when it was time to deliver the baby, your father offered to give you a better life. Isobel agreed to stay away, let them maintain the illusion that you were a Gilbert."

Isobel. It was like a word in a foreign language that only they seemed to understand, but I had no frame of reference for what the name meant. "What was she like?"

Damon snorted, and I shot him a look.

Alaric continued, "She was… very focused and driven. Isobel would never ever rest until she'd gotten what she wanted." He said carefully.

That didn't sound like the type of mom who would have stayed up all night to make me a princess costume when I changed my mind at the last minute because Caroline stole my idea, or who would bake cupcakes for the entire class on my birthday. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me?" I murmured.

"Maybe they would have, when they thought you were old enough to handle it, but they never got that chance?" Mr. Saltzman replied, and I gave him a faint smile.

Damon was being awfully quiet, and when I looked up at him, he was lost in his own thoughts.

"So, did Isobel ever talk about me or my family then?"

Alaric shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Ah no, not really. I mean she told me years ago that she'd had a child that she'd given up for adoption, but she didn't want to dwell on it, so I never pressed her for more. Until now."

"So what happened now?" From the way he'd been talking, it sounded like Isobel was either dead or he wasn't married to her anymore.

"She came to see me a few days ago. Out of the blue. I hadn't seen her in… a while." Alaric replied.

"Lucky you." Damon muttered.

"And that has something to do with me?" I asked, intrigued.

"She came to deliver a warning. Isobel said that your line is cursed, well the females of your line at any rate."

"Cursed?" A nervous laugh left my lips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Isobel loves to be dramatic." Damon interjected. "You have to take everything she says with a grain of salt."

Alaric gave a slow nod. "That's true to some extent, but she was very insistent about this. She wanted me to warn you but… I don't think she knew about your current… situation."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think we both know you don't have mono." Alaric deadpanned.

I stared back at him, not wanting to confirm what he wasn't coming right out to say. Maybe he knew about me and maybe he didn't.

"Okay well thanks for stopping by Ric. As you can see, we have things well in hand, and Elena doesn't have to be worried about any kind of curse anymore, does she?" Damon rose to his feet, giving Alaric a meaningful look.

"You know this isn't the end of it. Even if you managed to turn Elena too, that won't stop Katherine from interfering once she learns about this."

"What do you know about Katherine?" Damon's eyes narrowed.

"I know she's dangerous. Isobel was scared to death of her and she's never been afraid of anything a day in her life."

Something caught my attention then. _Even if you managed to turn Elena too…_ Oh god… was that how Damon knew my birth mother? My eyes flicked to his face, almost afraid to ask the question. "Did you turn my mother?"

**A/N: Dum, dum, dum… Oh poor Damon, he's got some explainin' to do!**

**Ok looks like the Tabula Rasa/Unknown idea is edging out secret option #3 and European Roadtrip bringing up the rear.**

**So iRuby brings up a good question. Why is it always Damon trying to win Elena over? Why not have Damon be the one with amnesia and Elena ends up taking care of him and falling in love with him and trying to win his trust? Well, a) because in the show it's Elena who's resistant to Damon and he has to do the chasing, so that's what naturally comes to mind. Though I am open to trying something new. And b) I didn't want to duplicate what's already out there, and I have seen some amnesia fics out there where Damon loses his memory but I thought I'd open that up to a vote as well. Okay so now our options are: 1. European Roadtrip sequel. 2. Tabula Rasa in the warehouse. 3. Amnesia Diaries where Elena loses her memory and Damon convinces her that she's his sweetie. 4. Amnesia Diaries where Damon loses his memory and Elena has to coax him into being a kinder/gentler Damon and they fall for each other (probably to be complicated by the fact that Stefan and Katherine are still around). Sheesh, that's a lot of options. Okay guys, what do you think?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I'm not ready to wrap this one up quite yet, there's still a story to tell here I think, especially where this curse is involved. So far I'm loving how this fic evolved from an experiment into it's own epic tale, lol.**

"_Okay well thanks for stopping by Ric. As you can see, we have things well in hand, and Elena doesn't have to be worried about any kind of curse anymore, does she?" Damon rose to his feet, giving Alaric a meaningful look._

"_You know this isn't the end of it. Even if you managed to turn her too, that won't stop Katherine from interfering once she learns about this."_

"_What do you know about Katherine?" Damon's eyes narrowed._

"_I know she's dangerous. Isobel was scared to death of her and she's never been afraid of anything a day in her life."_

_Something caught my attention then. Even if you managed to turn her too… Oh god… was that how Damon knew my birth mother? My eyes flicked to his face, almost afraid to ask the question. "Did you turn my mother?"_

Damon's hands came up in a gesture of supplication. "I didn't know she was your mother."

"And that's supposed to make it all better?" So intent was I on Damon, that I didn't notice Alaric until it was too late.

"I just wanted to hear it from your own lips you bastard." Alaric rushed at Damon then, something small and metal in his hands. If Damon hadn't been so wholly focused on me too he probably would have avoided him easily. Instead he fell to his knees, clutching the tranquilizer dart that stuck out of his chest in pain.

"What the…?" Whirling, I caught Alaric's triumphant look as Damon went down, a wooden stake appearing in his hand from up his sleeve. What the hell was going on? Stepping between them, I caught Alaric's hand easily, applying enough pressure to make him drop the stake which fell away with a clatter. "What did you do to him?" I demanded, giving him a little shake.

"Vervain, it's the only way to slow him down enough to…" Alaric cried out in pain and I realized I was holding onto him too tightly and quickly let go of him with a shove to get him out of the way.

"Damon…" I fell to my knees beside him, not sure what to do to ease his suffering. He looked… awful. Every cord was standing out on his neck, face red while he struggled against the effects of the herb. "Will it kill him?"

"No, it'll wear off eventually." Alaric had regained his feet and was watching us, a curious expression on his face.

"Why did you do that?" I tore my eyes from Damon to stare accusingly at Alaric.

"He killed my wife, took her from me, I had to make him pay."

"I didn't take anything she wasn't willing to give and newsflash, you already know she's not dead." Damon managed to get out, pushing himself into a seated position to lean against the couch.

A bitter laugh left Alaric's lips. "Might as well be. The woman I married is gone."

"Hey, she was like that already when I got to her. I never saw anybody so eager to become a vampire before." Damon snorted, but the motion turned into a painful wince. "Maybe she changed and you just didn't see it until it was too late?"

"You expect me to believe she wanted you to turn her?" Alaric scoffed, but there was doubt behind his eyes.

"Hell yeah she wanted me to. Begged me even. Offered me all sorts of… enticements." Damon's eyes flashed at Alaric.

"Hey, that's my mother you're talking about." I scowled, punching Damon in the shoulder, rousing out of my stupor to remind him I was still there.

"Isobel wanted to learn about vampires, I know that. She was… obsessed with finding proof that you actually exist. But you can't expect me to believe that she would have begged you to actually turn her." Alaric shook his head. "She had a life, with me…"

"Hey, you of all people should know that no one can make Isobel do anything she doesn't want to do. Least of all me." Damon smirked.

I was feeling all jumbled up inside, trying to digest it all. "So that's why you came to Mystic Falls? To deliver some message to me that I'm cursed? Or was it to hunt down Damon?"

"Damon was just a happy coincidence, I didn't even know he was here in town."

"I'll show you happy coincidence…" Damon started forward, but lacked the strength to rise and I shoved him back down none too gently.

"You're not helping." I muttered. "So why all the vampire hunting equipment?" I nodded to the little vervain dart and the stake that lay useless on the floor.

"Let's just say I was a boyscout and leave it at that."

"So, let me get this straight." I took a deep breath. "There's some kind of curse that is handed down through the women in my family and my birth mother sent you to warn me about it? Why couldn't she just come and tell me myself?"

"Like I said, Isobel… isn't the same woman I married." Ric said awkwardly. "She's become completely cut off from human emotion."

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that." I muttered, waiting for him to go on.

"Even so, I got the distinct impression that she didn't want to warn you in person as a way to try and protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

"That's the part I'm a little fuzzy on. The curse is activated when the woman in your line falls in love."

My eyes dropped to Damon, a sinking feeling gathering in the pit of my stomach.

"Ok so what's the dealio with the curse then? What do we have to worry about? Locusts? Rain of toads?" Damon asked.

"Those were plagues, not curses." Alaric gave him a withering glance.

"I'll show you a curse…" Damon growled.

"Guys… please. A little focus?" I prompted them, feeling like I'd been saddled with a couple of third graders. "Did she say where this curse came from? You said it had something to do with Katherine?"

Alaric had the good grace to look a little guilty at my scolding, even if Damon did just shrug it off. "It was put on Katherine by another vampire, because she didn't love him."

"That's taking the whole 'if I can't have you no one else can' a little far." Damon muttered.

"But Katherine's still out and about, walking around, right? Did she find a way to beat the curse? I'm still a little unclear on what this curse involves? Am I in danger of dying? I mean technically I'm already dead so…"

"Isobel didn't say exactly what the curse involves, only that I should make sure you were alright. She heard that Stefan came to town and that you were seeing him. She was afraid that history would repeat itself." Alaric supplied.

History would repeat itself. Did that mean that Katherine had triggered the curse when she'd fallen for Stefan? Or Damon? There were so many unanswered questions and Alaric seemed to only have half truths.

"Who told her about the curse?" Damon asked, taking advantage of the lull in conversation.

"Apparently Katherine came to see her shortly after we were married." Alaric shifted uncomfortably. "That was what sparked her interest in vampires. At first Katherine just told her she was a distant relative. She breezed in and had all sorts of questions for Isobel, giving her just a smattering of information and a vague warning about the curse. But Isobel couldn't let it go and when she found out Katherine was a vampire…"

"She became obsessed with them." Damon finished for him.

"All this talk of curses… I can't help but think they only have as much power as you give them." I shook my head. "So how bad can it be, right? I mean I'm immortal now, pretty tough to kill by conventional means. Whatever it is this curse does, I'll handle it."

Damon reached for my hand, linking his fingers with mine. "We'll handle it."

My heart warmed at the look of absolute love and conviction I saw on his face and my spirits rose. Whatever it was that was destined to come our way, I felt confident we could meet it together.

Until Alaric added one final tidbit. "It's not what's supposed to happen to you. It's what's supposed to happen to the man you love."

Damon's look of determination never wavered, but I felt a sliver of doubt pierce my soul. Was I prepared to put Damon at risk because of me? It wasn't fair… we'd been through so much together already, and now just as we'd started to work it all out, this had to crop up.

All I knew was that I couldn't just sit around on my ass and wait for the curse to strike. I needed answers. "I need to find her."

"Who, Katherine? Bad idea." Damon protested immediately, straightening himself with great effort.

"Isobel." I corrected. "Something tells me she's got a lot more information on all of this than she passed on to you." I looked to Alaric.

"I wish I could tell you where to find her." Alaric sighed.

"Oh you'll tell us." Damon's eyes flashed dangerously.

"That's not helping sweetie." I patted Damon's hand.

"No, I mean I really wish I could tell you but I don't know how to get ahold of her. I searched high and low for her for years and I never got even remotely close to finding her." Alaric explained.

"But you said you talked to her. Didn't she leave you any way of contacting her?"

A shake of the head was given. "I've tried the number she called me from but its been disconnected."

"And you really don't have any idea where to begin looking for her?"

Alaric hesitated for a moment. "I just got a bunch of boxes of her stuff from the university. They've been holding her office for her all this time, but they finally packed up all of her stuff and shipped it to me. There might be a clue in there somewhere."

"Great." Damon clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, you bring the files and we'll bring the marshmallows. We'll have a good old fashioned campfire and we can swap stories of the glory days. I'm betting I have some about your wife that will curl your hair."

"Maybe this curse won't be such a bad thing after all." Alaric muttered, narrowing his eyes at Damon.

* * *

"Elena you don't have to treat me like an infant." Damon scowled as I helped him into my bedroom.

"That's what you get for acting like one." I muttered, some of my annoyance returning now that it was clear that he was recovering from the effects of the vervain. It had been decided that we would meet Alaric the next night at the boarding house. He would bring over Isobel's boxes and we would go through them all together seeing as how he wasn't exactly eager to invite us into his house to conduct the search there. I suggested that we bring Stefan and Lexi into it to speed things up and Damon had agreed begrudgingly, preferring to leave his brother in the dark.

Jenna and Alaric were downstairs having an intimate dinner together after we'd excused ourselves. Whatever Damon had done to Jenna she had accepted it easily, only having eyes for Alaric.

"I need you to be straight with me about something Damon." I met his gaze squarely after getting him situated on the bed.

"Of course." He agreed readily. Say what you will about Damon, he wasn't one to spin lies and I was counting on that.

"What exactly was your relationship with my mother?"

It was Damon's turn to shift uncomfortably and the way he pulled his eyes from mine told me everything I wanted to know. "Okay first of all, like I said, I had no idea she was your mother, and this was years ago."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"Like I told Alaric, she sought me out, came on pretty hot and heavy, offered herself up to me. I thought she was some kind of vampire groupie at first. We… had some fun together, and I gave her a little taste of vampire life. She went crazy for it, the next thing I knew she was begging me to turn her… so I did. She left pretty quickly after that." A flicker of a frown crossed his face then.

As weirded out as it made me to think of Damon sleeping with my biological mother, I appreciated his candor. "Have there been many others?"

"That I've hooked up with before? You really want to go down that path Elena?" He gave me a skeptical look.

"No, that you've turned. Was she the first? Or is there a hoard of vampire groupies out there that you've formed a… special bond with over the years?" Stefan's words came back to me then, his insinuation that a great deal of what I felt for Damon stemmed from the connection we had since he'd been the one who turned me.

"Is that what you're worried about? If I've bonded with other vampires over the years?" Damon reached for my hand and tugged me down onto the bed beside him. "Elena, let me see if I can explain this the right way…" He grew silent for a moment, searching for the right words. "There's a bond that develops when you turn someone, that's true. But it's not even a shadow compared to what's between you and me. Think of it the same way as a blood relation. You can have a genetic link to someone and not feel a damn thing, or you can have a strong love for someone who you have no connection to like your adoptive family. It was your love for Jeremy that brought you back after you'd lost your emotions, and he's not your biological brother is he?

"So you're saying you didn't feel anything for Isobel?"

"Not really. She was a little intense, but basically just a hot chick who wanted to… or um, something less disturbing, sorry." Damon censored himself at catching my expression. "The closest I've come to love before was with, she who must not be named." He said the last in a spooky voice like he was talking about Voldemort or something and I couldn't help but smile.

"So what are we gonna do about this curse?" I asked after a moment's reflection.

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out. I happen to think it's worth it."

"Worth it? How do you mean?"

"Well I guess if I get struck down then I know once and for all that you really love me." Damon gave me a lopsided grin.

"You can't tell now that I love you?" I raised a single brow at him.

"Maybe you're better remind me again."

"I thought parts of you were still numb from the vervain?"

"Not all of me." His grin widened.

"What am I gonna do with you?" I sighed, allowing Damon to pull me up against him.

"Anything you want, just be gentle." He smirked before his lips covered mine.

**A/N: So, what do you guys think about the curse idea? Something a little different for them to deal with? Elena will circle back to see Bonnie in the next chapter and then we'll have more of Stefan and Lexi after that.**

**Ok looks like Tabula Rasa/Unknown has won by a landslide for the next story, yay! Thanks for all of your input guys, I love to hear what you're in the mood to read. It doesn't mean I won't get to those other ideas eventually, this is just what I'll start next. I'll ask you one more thing about it. Would you like to see it with all the characters I mentioned before, Elena, Katherine, Caroline, Stefan, Damon and Mason? Or just Elena, Katherine, Damon and Stefan? **

**Feedback is Love People**


	25. Chapter 25

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**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I'm glad you guys are onboard for the curse! Thanks for all the great feedback. While yes Alaric and Stefan are both still alive after being loved by women in the line, I would like to point out that the curse has affected their relationships and has a lot to do with the choices that both Katherine and Isobel have made in the past. We'll learn more about that in the future. **

"_So what are we gonna do about this curse?" I asked after a moment's reflection. _

"_Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out. I happen to think it's worth it."_

"_Worth it? How do you mean?"_

"_Well I guess if I get struck down then I know once and for all that you really love me." Damon gave me a lopsided grin._

"_You can't tell now that I love you?" I raised a single brow at him._

"_Maybe you'd better remind me again." _

"_I thought parts of you were still numb from the vervain?"_

"_Not all of me." His grin widened._

"_What am I gonna do with you?" I sighed, allowing Damon to pull me up against him._

"_Anything you want; just be gentle." He smirked before his lips covered mine._

_

* * *

_

Finding myself with a bit of free time before we were supposed to meet up at the boarding house with Alaric and Isobel's personal effects, I turned my attention to one of those talks I'd been putting off since regaining my emotions.

Bonnie.

I had no idea what I was going to say to her, if she'd even see me; she'd looked so upset the last time we'd spoken… Hoping for the best, I rang the bell, chewing nervously on the inside of my bottom lip as I waited to see if she was home. Instead it was her Grandmother who opened the door. "Hi, is Bonnie home?" I asked brightly, putting on my best smile but it froze on my lips as I caught her expression. She looked as if she knew without a shadow of a doubt what I was.

"Bonnie is… not available at the moment. But I'll tell her you stopped by." She replied, watching me like a hawk.

I could hear Bonnie inside, and opened my mouth to say something but then again, she hadn't exactly said that Bonnie wasn't home, just that she wasn't available. "Okay… I'd really appreciate it. I need to talk to her."

"I'll tell her you stopped by." She repeated.

"Grams…" Bonnie appeared at the door then, a grave look on her face. "It's okay."

"Bonnie…" Her grandmother's brows drew together.

"No it's okay really, I can handle it." Bonnie's chin came up a little.

"Alright, I'll be near if you need me." The words were directed at Bonnie, but her Grams' eyes bored into me as she spoke before moving off.

"Wow, the protective vibe." I tried for a smile.

"You can hardly blame her, can you?" Bonnie retorted, staying in dubious protection of the doorway.

"I guess… but I would never hurt you Bonnie, you know that don't you?" Her silence spoke volumes. "Look, I really wanted to talk to you, to clear the air between us. I hate that this thing has come between us. I miss you Bon." I tried again.

"This thing? You mean you being a vampire?" Her brow puckered.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." I smirked… ugh I'd been spending too much time hanging out with Damon… "Do you think I could come in?"

"I'm not inviting you in here." She shook her head. "Even if I did trust you, Grams would pitch a fit."

Even if she did trust me… the words cut me to the quick. "Fine then we can talk out here on the porch, okay? Just… talk to me Bonnie."

Bonnie hesitated for a long moment, darting a quick look over her shoulder into the house. "Alright." She nodded, stepping out onto the porch and pulling the door shut behind her. "So talk."

She sure wasn't making it easy on me. "Bonnie, I don't know what I can do to convince you that I'm not instantly a bad person just because I'm a vampire now."

"You sure weren't acting like the Elena I know back at school."

"Yeah about that…" I took a seat on the top step of the porch, hoping she'd join me. "It turns out my emotions were suppressed. I didn't even know I was doing it. So I'm sorry if I was kind of a bitch to you that day. I'm better now."

"And that's supposed to make it better? Are you even hearing yourself Elena? You shut off your emotions? That makes you even less human than before."

"Yeah but I know about it now, and I've recovered them, Damon helped me come back." I insisted, getting frustrated with Bonnie for holding onto her negativity when I was really trying to make things right between us. "And even without emotions I didn't hurt anyone Bonnie, I swear."

"I find that a little hard to believe. You looked like you were about to eat Matt for lunch before I stopped you." She snorted.

"No, I swear, I haven't killed anyone since I turned. I'll prove it to you." I stuck my arm out at her, inviting her touch. "Go ahead, take a look."

Bonnie looked at my arm like it was a live snake, recoiling slightly from the motion. "I don't…"

"Just try it Bonnie, see what you can pick up from me. I'm not evil, I swear." I gave her a hopeful smile.

Hesitantly she reached forth, "That's just what you'd say if you were evil…" She muttered, but the corner of her mouth quirked into an almost smile.

Her hand clamped over my arm and I watched carefully for any indication of what she was seeing. Bonnie's body went rigid then, a blank look on her face and I waited to see what her judgment would be.

"You really haven't killed anyone?" Her eyes popped open, and I saw traces of hope behind her eyes.

"No, I swear. Damon's been watching out for me while I learn control. But even with my emotions off I didn't lose it." Of course I didn't mention to her that without Damon there I likely would have killed that bartender without batting an eye. The fact of the matter was, I needed her to believe in me, and I wasn't above holding back that little tidbit of info to get her to lose the suspicion behind her eyes.

"What's all this about Damon? What happened to Stefan?" She asked, and it was almost like regular girl talk.

"Oh, well remember I said we had kinda grown apart? Well, while Stefan was gone I sorta fell for Damon." I admitted, feeling a flush creep up the side of my neck just from thinking about him.

"Fell for him? As in…"

"As in… I'm totally butt-crazy in love with him." I grinned foolishly, relieved to see an answering smile on her face.

"And he feels the same way?" She prompted.

"Yeah, it's like there's this whole other side to him…" And then I was telling her everything that had happened to me since we'd last talked. Really telling her; good and bad. Including my little loss of emotion over Damon's slip of the tongue and how it was my love for Jeremy that had brought me back, and the new information about Isobel and the curse.

Bonnie listened with rapt attention, forgetting her earlier discomfort as she got caught up in the story. "Oh my god… and you really had no idea that you were ever adopted?"

"No, I mean you knew my mom and dad, they treated me just like I was their daughter. No one's ever given me a single reason to suspect anything like it." I was still reeling over the idea, let alone the fact that my birth mother was a vampire too.

"So you really think you'll find a clue about the curse in Isobel's stuff?"

"I'm hoping so. That's kind of what I wanted to ask you, do you want to come with and help look through it too?" I was really trying to include her, because if she couldn't accept me as I was… it didn't exactly bode well for our friendship.

"You want me to come with you to the Salvatore's boarding house?" Bonnie looked stunned. "I don't know Elena, I'm pretty sure my Grams'll never let me go to a den of vampires."

"You make it sound like we're all laying in wait to eat you." I laughed before I realized the thought had crossed her mind. "Bonnie, you'll be safe with me; I'd stake my life on it." I promised.

"I'd like to help…" Her teeth worried at her bottom lip.

"You've been around Stefan this whole time; did you ever feel unsafe around him?" I tried a different tack. "And Mr. Saltzman will be there. I'm even betting he'll be armed."

"That's true…" She considered aloud. "Okay I'll do it." Her voice dropped. "But let's go now. I have a feeling I won't get very far if Grams realizes where I'm headed."

"You don't think she'll figure it out when we leave together?" I raised a single brow as I got to my feet.

"Yeah well it's easier to ask for forgiveness than to get permission." She muttered, heading for her car.

* * *

I could have made better time on foot, but I was grateful to be invited into Bonnie's car at least. Some idle chatter went a long way towards restoring the tenuous thread of our friendship and by the time we got to the boarding house, I thought she was getting to be more comfortable around me again.

Stefan opened the door as soon as we pulled up, a welcoming smile on his face. "Ladies." He nodded to each of us in kind. "Come on in. You're the first to arrive. Can I get you anything?"

Bonnie approached the door, a hesitant smile on her face. "No thanks, I'm good."

"Me too." I nodded back in greeting. "Is Lexi here? I was hoping Bonnie could meet her."

"Yeah, she's upstairs having a little snack. She'll be down in a bit." Stefan replied.

"Bagged, not fresh." I whispered to Bonnie when I saw her tense at the mention of the snack.

Bonnie nodded, looking all around as she entered the grand house. I tried to think if she'd been there before and came up with a blank. Stefan showed us into the main living room and Bonnie took a seat. I sat on the couch and Stefan immediately sat next to me, a little closer than was strictly necessary.

"Damon's not home?"

"Nope, he's out hunting."

I shot him a look. Did he not get that I was trying to downplay the brutality of vampires for Bonnie's sake?

"You know Damon, he's never been one to resist a pretty face." He shrugged.

Was he trying to be obnoxious on purpose? If Bonnie hadn't been there, I would have let him know what I thought of the tactic, but as it was I just gave him a tight smile. Trying to steer the conversation onto a safer topic, I turned to face him a little more, scooting a bit farther away in the process. "So, have you ever heard of this curse before?"

That got his attention, and he became more like the Stefan that I knew. "No, I've never heard of it before. But to be honest, I haven't had all that much involvement with your family line before. Unless you count Katherine."

"So you'd never met Isobel before? Not even when she was with Damon?" It wasn't something I liked to think about, but it begged asking.

"No, I don't think so. But you have to remember, there were huge chunks of time where I didn't see Damon for years at a time. It's not like I have a sense of all the women he's hooked up with over the years."

"What about Katherine?" Bonnie interjected. "When you knew her, did she ever mention anything about having a child or family that she'd left behind?"

"No, she never did. But she hated to talk about her past. I think she thought it made her seem more mysterious." Stefan replied, a faint smile on his lips.

"But she must have had a child before she was turned. That's the only way there could be a curse handed down the family line."

"That's true." He nodded. "But she never spoke of it."

"I think Katherine liked to keep secrets just on principle." Lexi called out from the stairs as she came down to join us. Introductions were made, and though Bonnie seemed a little less than friendly, she did manage a smile for the pretty blonde vampire.

I instantly felt better with Lexi there, her infectious smile helping me to lose some of my worry. "Let's hope Isobel was a little less secretive."

"I like a good mystery." Lexi grinned. "Oh, here comes the teacher." Her head came up, and I heard the sound of Alaric's car a heartbeat later.

"I'll go see if he needs any help carrying things in." Stefan offered, leaving his spot beside me and I waved Lexi over.

"I guess you figured out which one you were in love with huh?" Lexi gave me a conspiratorial wink as soon as Stefan was gone.

"He hasn't been too upset has he?" I asked, looking off in the direction he'd disappeared off to.

"Most of the time he seems like regular old Stefan, but every now and again… I can tell he's not ready to give you up just yet. I hate to say it, but I think it bothers him in particular that it was his brother."

"I know, I feel bad about it but…"

"You can't help who you love." Bonnie finished the thought for me and I gave her a grateful smile.

The men appeared then, Alaric with a big file box and Stefan easily managing three big boxes of stuff. "Wow, I wasn't expecting such a crowd. I'm not sure if that's good or bad…" Alaric muttered, with an uneasy smile.

"Well I figured, the more of us looking through her things the sooner we'll find something, right?" I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Mr. Saltzman, if they get all fangy I got your back." Bonnie smiled, looking a little more at ease with another human present.

"Oh I'm not worried. I didn't come into the lion's den unprepared." Alaric opened his coat to reveal a row of little vervain darts like the one he'd used to bring down Damon the night before.

"What are those?" Stefan asked.

"You don't want to know." I muttered.

Only Alaric seemed happy to provide him with plenty of details as to just how effective they were at bringing down a vampire, and I had to add my experience to it. Both Stefan and Lexi seemed a little nervous at him being so heavily armed, but I reckoned if it made him feel safer, what harm could come of it? It wasn't like any of us was going to attack him anyway.

"So, I guess we should get right to it, huh? No sense in waiting for Damon to get here." I said, reaching for the nearest box.

"Typical Damon, nowhere to be found when there's work to be done." Stefan sighed, pulling the lid off of another.

"Green is not a good color on you Stefan." Lexi muttered behind her hand, but I could hear her clear as day.

For the next half hour we pored through the boxes that were filled with curios, books, and all manner of odd things. Most of the volumes were on mythology and lore from around the world. But at the bottom of the box I was sorting through with Bonnie, I pulled out what looked like a journal bound in red leather.

The thick pages were covered with hand lettered entries in smooth, flowing script. There were pictures peppered into some of the entries, and pressed between two pages, a crumbling sprig of lavender. In flipping through, I was surprised to find a sketch near the end of the pages that bore a striking resemblance to Stefan. Whoever had written it had obviously met the younger Salvatore brother. Was it Katherine's journal? It definitely seemed like it was written in a feminine hand. But there was just one problem.

"Ah, does anyone here know how to read Russian?"

**A/N: Ooh a secret journal… I wonder what it says? I'm gonna have to figure out who can translate it for them, I think it'd be neat to get some journal entries as part of future updates. **

**I know, a Damon-less chapter, sorry about that guys. He'll be showing up soon, I promise. **

**I've tabulated the votes for the new fic and it was really close. Having more characters trapped in the warehouse edged out by just one vote, so I'll go with Damon, Elena, Stefan, Mason, Caroline and Katherine all in there. And just for fun I'll throw in Bonnie too, thanks SoUtHeRnBeLLe706 for that good idea. She'll definitely be involved with why they're trapped in there with no memories. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I just wanted to point out that it's an assumption on my part that Katherine is Russian or would write a journal in Russian. As I've said before, I haven't read the books and it hasn't been spelled out yet on the show, so I'm just gonna run with it. Even if it comes out in later episodes that it's incorrect, I'll keep it this way and we'll just consider it AU. I figured you guys would rather I just go with it rather than wait to update with this chapter until it comes out on the show, right? **

"_Typical Damon, nowhere to be found when there's work to be done." Stefan sighed, pulling the lid off of another. _

"_Green is not a good color on you Stefan." Lexi muttered behind her hand, but I could hear her clear as day. _

_For the next half hour we pored through the boxes that were filled with curios, books, and all manner of odd things. Most of the volumes were on mythology and lore from around the world. But at the bottom of the box I was sorting through with Bonnie, I pulled out what looked like a journal bound in red leather. _

_The thick pages were covered with hand lettered entries in smooth, flowing script. There were pictures peppered into some of the entries, and pressed between two pages, a crumbling sprig of lavender. In flipping through, I was surprised to find a sketch near the end of the pages that bore a striking resemblance to Stefan. Whoever had written it had obviously met the younger Salvatore brother. Was it Katherine's journal? It definitely seemed like it was written in a feminine hand. But there was just one problem._

"_Ah, does anyone here know how to read Russian?" _

"You found something written in Russian?" Bonnie leaned over my shoulder to get a better look.

"Um… I'm not sure. I mean it looks kinda like Russian doesn't it?" I tilted the diary so she could examine the pages.

"Maybe…" She murmured before giving a shake of the head.

"Here, let me take a look." Alaric held his hand out and I passed it to him. Flipping through the pages, he nodded, "Yeah, this is Russian alright. I can make out a lot of it, but… my Russian's marginal at best. With a good dictionary I could probably translate it."

"Can you at least tell if it's Katherine's?" Stefan asked, watching him intently.

"It's definitely a woman's diary, I can tell that right away. And here she says that she's getting ready to go to a grand ball at a fancy mansion. At least I think it says mansion…" He frowned.

"Great, so you've got a project then." Damon called out from the doorway and I hopped up to greet him with a brief peck. Not satisfied with that brief contact, he pulled me close to give me a kiss that left me breathless, as if he was staking his claim on me for everyone to see.

Darting a nervous look in Stefan's direction, I gave Damon a pointed look, though truth be told, I was glad to see him, more than I would have thought. "Where have you been?"

"Out taking care of business." He gave me a tight smile, and I realized I wouldn't get anything more out of him in mixed company.

Dropping it for the moment, I tugged him into the living room with the others. "We've been going through Isobel's things, and we turned up Katherine's journal."

"Yeah, so I heard. Looks like you've all been busy little bees." Damon's eyes flashed with amusement as he plopped down on the couch beside me.

"Someone had to take this seriously." Lexi muttered.

"Find anything about this curse?" Damon asked, ignoring Lexi's jibe.

"I thought you weren't worried about the curse?" Stefan's lips curved in amusement.

"I'm not. But the sooner we find out what it's all about, the sooner we can put this nonsense behind us." Damon returned.

"I think I'll just head out and get started on this." Alaric held up the journal. "I've got a long night of translating ahead of me, and I've still got term papers to grade." He sighed.

"Ah, I'll catch a ride with you if you don't mind, Mr. Saltzman." Bonnie jumped up and I realized she still was a little nervous being around so many vampires. Damon's appearance had apparently tipped the scales into the discomfort zone.

"Sure, no problem. And you can call me Alaric while we're out of school." He added with a smile.

"And here I thought you were all work and no play." Damon smirked, giving Alaric a broad wink which drew an open scowl from the teacher.

"Thanks for bringing this all over." I interrupted before Damon had a chance to say anything else. "And thanks for coming with me tonight Bonnie." I gave her a warm smile, gratified to see her return it. I hoped the worst of the awkwardness was over between us.

"What have you been up to?" Stefan asked Damon as soon as the humans had left.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Damon's eyes flashed with mischief.

"Actually I would kinda like to know too." I punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Ow." Damon pretended to be hurt, "Careful, I bruise like a grape." He grinned, before sobering. "Actually I thought I would put out a few feelers, see if I could turn up anyone who's run into either Isobel or Katherine lately."

I couldn't help but stiffen at the mention of Katherine from his lips, even if I knew it was for a good cause. "And? Did you find anything?"

A shake of the head was given. "Not exactly, but I haven't exhausted all possibilities yet. I was thinking… you might be able to help me with a plan." Damon reached out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Stefan muttered.

"Because you lack vision, baby brother. You always have." Damon smirked.

"What's this plan all about?" Lexi prompted him, laying a hand on Stefan's arm even as he bristled. I shot her a grateful look; we could use another peacemaker in the room.

"Do you remember that vampire we ran into in the city Elena? The one who mistook you for Katherine?"

"How could I forget?" I returned sourly. That night had been fairly momentous for the both of us for more than one reason.

"So I was thinking… the best way to flush Katherine out might be for you to impersonate her. You know, go around the city and let it be known that she's in town. See what comes crawling out of the woodwork."

"You know… that's actually not half bad." Lexi considered.

"Are you kidding? That's insane!" Stefan protested, leaping up to his feet. "Just what do you think Katherine will do if she finds out that Elena is masquerading as her? She'll go ballistic."

"Exactly." Damon grinned. "She'll be forced to come out of hiding, and we'll be waiting.

"No way, it's too dangerous. Elena's a newly made vampire; Katherine would snap her like a twig." Stefan shook his head.

"But if we're all there to protect her…" Lexi volunteered.

"See, she gets it." Damon winked at Lexi. "There's four of us and one of her, superior strength through numbers."

"And what if she kills Elena before we even have a chance to react?" Stefan retorted.

"Wait a minute!" I rose to my feet as well, hands held up between the brothers. "Isn't anyone interested in what I think about this plan?" Looking at each person in kind, I took a deep breath. "I think the idea's got possibilities. But, even if we find Katherine, what good will that do us?"

"We can find out if there really is such a thing as this curse, or if we're just getting all hot and bothered over nothing." Lexi replied.

"We can try and find out who is responsible for it. Maybe then we can find this lovesick vampire and… persuade him to lift the curse." Damon grinned.

"I still say it's too dangerous." Stefan sat down heavily, burying his face in his hands.

Lexi reached over and ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head in a comforting gesture. "It'll be alright Stefan. None of us will let anything happen to Elena."

"And hello, I'm a vampire now. I'm not exactly all that easy to kill anymore." I added, hating that they were talking about me as if I was a delicate china doll that might break into a million pieces if someone breathed on me wrong. "There's just one disadvantage to all of this that'll be hard to work around."

"What's that, Angel?" Damon asked, drawing me into the shelter of his arm.

"Sunlight. Without a ring, I'm pretty much limited to being out and about during the night. Anybody who really knows Katherine will know that's not a problem for her."

"Hey, I'm in the same boat, no handy dandy magic ring for me either." Lexi waggled her bare fingers.

"I've been thinking about that." Damon grinned.

"So have I." Stefan interrupted, his head coming up.

"Stefan, I'm not gonna wear your ring, or yours either." I staved off either one of their offers.

"No, I was thinking about where these came from in the first place." Stefan replied, a light of excitement coming into his eyes.

"Somehow I don't think Katherine's gonna just pony up and hand out a couple more for our girlfriends." Damon smirked, and Lexi shot him an obscene gesture.

"Actually, I was thinking we might find another witch who can create them for us." Stefan replied, refusing to look at Damon, his eyes on me.

"I sort of got the impression they were hard to come by." I frowned. Otherwise there would be all kinds of vampires walking around in the daylight, wouldn't there?

"Yeah that's the impression I've had too for the past three hundred and fifty years myself." Lexi reminded him drily.

"But that's only because there aren't that many witches with enough power to pull it off, who also have the motivation to help vampires in the first place." Stefan replied.

Damon quirked a brow at his brother. "And you think you've found one?"

"Maybe." It was Stefan's turn to offer a smug smile.

"So, spill. Let's hear it? Who is she? Or is it a he?" Damon leaned forward, fixing Stefan with a penetrating gaze.

"It's a she. Her name is Bree, she lives down in Georgia." Stefan looked inordinately pleased with himself.

Damon burst into laughter, so hard that he started to tear up. "You seriously think she has the juice for this kind of spell?"

"You know her?" Lexi frowned.

"Duh."

"So who is this Bree?" I interrupted, "You really think she would help us?" Ignoring Damon for the moment, I looked to Stefan.

"I think she would. She knows me; she knows I'm not dangerous. I think I could make a case for you." Stefan nodded.

"Even if she was strong enough, what makes you think she knows the spell to do such a thing? It's not like making some poor dweeb fall in love. It's a pretty specific spell." Damon pointed out.

"He's got a point." Lexi agreed reluctantly. "There isn't a whole lot of call for this kind of spell. It's not likely to be in any standard witch's grimoire."

"But it's definitely in _one_." Damon replied smugly.

"You mean Emily's?" Stefan gave a nod of understanding, but I still felt like I was in the dark.

"Who's Emily?" I prompted.

"She's the witch who was in Katherine's pocket all those years ago. She's the one who made these babies for her." Damon held up his hand, showing us his ring.

"And you know where her grimoire is at?" Stefan asked.

A flash of something passed over Damon's features. "Well… no, not exactly. Not yet. But I'm close, I can feel it. I just need another couple of pieces to the puzzle and I'll have it. Then we can have our own witch take care of business, and no need for a roadtrip."

"Do you mean Bonnie?" I gasped. "There's no way she's strong for something like this." I shook my head vehemently. I had just started to mend those bridges, I wasn't ready to test them like that just yet.

"Ah but our pretty little teenaged witch is a direct descendent of… yep, you guessed it…"

"Emily." Stefan nodded, understanding dawning on his face, while I just stared at them dumbly. Bonnie was related to Katherine's witch? What were the odds of that? "But that's a lot of ifs. You don't even have the spellbook yet. I still think we should go and pay Bree a visit, see if she's got anything in her repertoire that could do the job."

"Have fun then." Damon waved at Stefan and Lexi. "Don't let us stop you."

"I was thinking that Elena might like to go." Stefan's jaw tightened before he offered me a hopeful smile.

"Not a chance in hell baby brother. The best man won, get over it." Damon snarled.

"Maybe you should ask Elena what she wants." Lexi suggested, giving me a wink.

"Thank you." I smiled back with a roll of the eyes. "I think… it couldn't hurt for us to check out what this Bree can do before we drag Bonnie into this."

"Elena… it's a wild goose chase…" Damon shook his head.

"But it'll give me something to do. I can't just sit around and let you guys take all the risks."

"So let them go then. You can stay with me and help me find the grimoire. I can guarantee you that even if Bree wants to help, she won't know the right spell to pull it off." Damon twined his fingers with mine, and I saw something behind his eyes… fear. He really was afraid to be parted from me over this, and I wasn't sure if it was because he was worried over the curse, Stefan's designs on me, or some other outside faction.

I nodded then, unable to resist the power of those eyes that held so much worry and love for me. "Alright. I'll stay here with you and help you find the spellbook."

"That's my girl." Damon crushed me to him in a hug, and I smiled into his chest, feeling like I'd made the right decision.

_Boy was I wrong…_

**A/N: Busy weekend with Halloween and everything, but I managed to get in an update for my True Blood fic and this one and the latest VD episode recap for the "Masquerade" episode. How amazing was that episode? **

**Be on the lookout for my new fic in the next couple of days that features the VD gang with amnesia locked in an abandoned warehouse. It'll be called Tabula Rasa in honor of Buffy, because they did it first and best. I'll be trying to complete the entire story in the month of November for NaNoWriMo, so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all your great input in helping me decide what to write next!**

**Feedback is Love People**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters. **

**I know, Stefan needs to move on… but you can't really blame the guy for trying, can you? Sorry about the cliffhanger guys… okay actually no, I'm not sorry, I LOVE a good cliffhanger! **

**Oh and I wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone for all the support and feedback! I had over 55,000 hits for my fics last month alone, that is amazing! You guys are the reason I write here, and I'm so touched to have so many people reading. Ok enough hearts and flowers, on to the drama!**

"_Elena… it's a wild goose chase…" Damon shook his head._

"_But it'll give me something to do. I can't just sit around and let you guys take all the risks."_

"_So let them go then. You can stay with me and help me find the grimoire. I can guarantee you that even if Bree wants to help, she won't know the right spell to pull it off." Damon twined his fingers with mine, and I saw something behind his eyes… fear. He really was afraid to be parted from me over this, and I wasn't sure if it was because he was worried over the curse, Stefan's designs on me, or some other outside faction._

_I nodded then, unable to resist the power of those eyes that held so much worry and love for me. "Alright. I'll stay here with you and help you find the spellbook."_

"_That's my girl." Damon crushed me to him in a hug, and I smiled into his chest, feeling like I'd made the right decision. _

_Boy was I wrong…_

__

_

* * *

_

"So where do we start?"

Stefan and Lexi had already made their goodbyes, not wanting to waste what was left of the night before Lexi had to bed down out of the sunlight; leaving us alone in the big house. I was flipping through a small photo album, not sure who I was looking at, wondering which one of the smiling faces belonged to my birth mother.

"Actually it's a good thing you're with me on this one, cause I think the clue to finding the grimoire lies in one of your ancestor's journals." Damon replied, lazily stroking my shoulders.

"My ancestor? You mean Jonathan Gilbert?" He was the only one I knew of who was around during that same timeframe.

"Yep, the one and only. Man that guy was a tool…"

"Hey, that's my great, great… oh wait… I guess it's not." I frowned, remembering that I shared no blood relation to the man. "We have most of that stuff in the attic I think. We gave some things over to the historical society, but I don't think any of the journals made it into those boxes. Jenna might know for sure though. Wanna go check them out?"

Damon nodded, "But first, I think we should talk about something important," he said earnestly.

That got my attention. "What is it?"

"About this curse…"

"Damon, let's not borrow trouble okay? At least until we know what we're up against. There's no sense in getting all worried about it. Whatever it is, we'll face it together." I cut him off.

He held his hand up. "All very important points, and I just want to speak my piece and then we won't talk about it again." After I had nodded, he continued. "I want you to put the idea out of your pretty little head that you need to do anything drastic to protect me."

"Protect you?" I blinked, not quite sure what he was talking about.

"Don't think it has escaped my attention that every woman who has acknowledged this curse has left their man twisting in the wind. I know what's going on here; I'm more than a pretty face."

"What are you talking about?"

"Isobel. She left Alaric when she found out about the curse, that was her way of trying to keep him safe and it seems to be working. And then there's Katherine."

"What about her?" My eyes narrowed at the mention of my doppelganger.

"That must be why she faked her own death. She was trying to keep me safe." Damon explained as if I was a slow child who wasn't grasping facts fast enough.

It seemed like a stretch to me, but then again; maybe he had a point. To hear him tell it, Katherine had loved him just as he'd loved her, and then she'd disappeared so suddenly, never contacting him again even though she was obviously out and about in the world. And Alaric too…

The idea hadn't occurred to me to try and break things off with him in order to keep him safe, but now that the seed had been planted in my mind, it was hard to think of anything else. "Maybe they were on to something?" I said softly, unable to meet his gaze.

"Elena…" A pucker of worry appeared on his brow, and he pulled me onto his lap. "This is the opposite of what you're supposed to be getting from my point."

"Well it's kinda hard to ignore the fact that it seems to have worked for them." I pointed out, settling my arm around his shoulders as he held me close.

"Only in the sense that we're still alive. But what good would that be if you and I were apart?"

"Aw, you don't want to live without me?" Trying to keep my voice light, I ran the pad of my thumb over his lower lip.

"Elena, you and me… this is it. The big ball of wax, call it soulmates or whatever pansy word you can come up for it. This is forever. I'm not letting you go because of some jealous dweeb that Katherine dumped hundreds of years ago."

I smiled over his phrasing; it called to mind a pimply faced vampire newbie, hurling curses at the woman he could never have. "Damon, you know I love you." My fingers splayed across his chiseled features, feeling the rasp of his jaw. "I don't want to lose you either, but I'd rather you were safe without me than dead because of me."

"Well tough, because I'm not going anywhere." He turned his head into my hand, pressing a kiss to the center of my palm. "You can try and ditch me all you want, but I'll still be there waiting for you every time the sun goes down. Did I mention that I'm fantastic at stalking?" Damon grinned.

"Yeah I'll just bet you are." I gave him a faint smile before capturing his lips for a heartfelt kiss. It wasn't fair that our happiness had been so short lived. What if this curse took him from me forever? It wasn't something that I wanted to dwell on, and the longer I kissed him, the easier it was to push it from my mind.

After a few minutes of kissing, it was Damon who pulled away first, giving my rear end a playful smack. "Come on, let's get going. I want to check out your attic while we still have some time left tonight."

"Wow, left in the lurch for some dusty old boxes. I must be losing my indefinable allure." I smirked, rising to my feet and offering him a hand up.

"Never." He grinned back, taking my hand and pulling me close for another kiss once he was upright. "But the sooner we get done with the boring boxes, the sooner I can remind you why you keep me around." With a waggling of the brows, he tugged me towards the door, not bothering with a jacket before we stepped out into the night air.

* * *

"This is like looking for a needle in a haystack." I sighed, pulling the lid off of the next dusty carton in the attic.

"No, this is like looking for a pebble in a pile of dust bunnies under a couch. Haven't you guys ever heard of a swiffer? They come in a variety of useful shapes and sizes." Damon muttered; his face intent on the contents of the box he was poring over.

"Yeah cause you spend so much time cleaning your own attic, right?" I retorted, quickly realizing that box would be useless and grabbing another. "Besides, it's not like a little bit of dust every hurt anyone."

"Tell that to my shirt." He'd been grumbling off and on like that for the past hour, and reminding him that it had been his idea in the first place had only gotten me a dirty look.

"This is useless." He growled, tipping over the contents with a violent shove. "Is there any other place you can think of that the journals might be? Did your parents have a safety deposit box maybe?" Damon prompted, rolling his head first one way and then the other.

"Yeah they do at the bank downtown, but I think it just has important papers in it; birth certificates, insurance policies, stuff like that. Jenna would know better than I would." I rose and went to him, hands going immediately to his shoulders to massage the tired muscles there. "Why don't we go down and see if she's up yet? We can get her to go look in the box today."

Damon's hand covered mine and he gave me a faint smile. "Yeah okay, let's do that."

Jenna was in the shower as it turned out, the house still dark for the moment, but the sun would be up soon enough, I could feel it in my bones. "It's almost time for me to turn into a pumpkin." I sighed, looking out the kitchen window.

"What so he's spending the night every night now? I should start inviting my girlfriend over." Jeremy scowled, shuffling into the kitchen looking like something the cat dragged in.

"You don't have a girlfriend." Damon snorted, barely giving him a second glance.

"Hey Jer, how are you?" I asked, still worried about any damage that could have been done to him physically or mentally from the night I'd regained my emotions. But all I got was a half shrug in response. "So, who is she?" I tried another tack, offering him a smile.

"Who, my girlfriend?" The corner of his mouth quirked into an almost smile. "Well she's not my girlfriend exactly. I mean… I'm pretty sure she likes me but…"

"So ask her out, Stud. What are you waiting for?" Damon asked, helping himself to a glass of orange juice.

"Ask her out where? We already hang out together almost every day. And it's not like I have a car."

"Or a license." I reminded him. "So ask her over here to hang out then, or you could meet at the Grill for dinner, or the movies… or you could take a picnic down by the river… or…"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture." Jeremy's hands came up in a supplicating gesture. "What do you care anyway?"

"I'm just trying to be helpful. I do care about you, you know. How many brothers do you think I have?" A pang hit me then as I realized he wasn't my biological brother… but he was still my brother in every way that counted. "What's her name?"

"Anna. And she's really cool." He gave the first real smile I'd seen from him in a long time. "But I can't invite her over here, you and Jenna would just give her the third degree and then I'd never see her again." His lips twisted into a rueful smirk.

"Oh come on, I'll be good, I promise." I crossed my heart with a grin.

"We really don't' have time for this… project, remember?" Damon murmured.

"We're kind of at a dead end with that anyway." I reminded him. "Hey Jer, you remember when we gave that box of stuff to the historical society don't you? Do you remember if there was a journal in there from Jonathan Gilbert?"

"Oh, no that didn't go with that stuff. I snagged it for a school project. There's some really weird shit in there." Jeremy snorted.

"You have the journal? Where, upstairs?" Damon was instantly alert and intent on the conversation again.

"Well… no…" Jeremy gave us both a puzzled look. "I did, but Mr. Saltzman asked if he could see it in order to have a little bit of background for the paper I turned in, so I lent it to him."

"Alaric has it?" Damon threw a look to the lightening sky. "I'll go pay a visit to good old teach, see if I can't just borrow it back. You stay here." He was already moving for the back door.

"Okay, come back here though okay? And wake me up and let me know if you find something, even if I'm dead to the world." I made him promise and then he was off like a shot.

"What was that all about?" Jeremy asked, still confused.

"Oh, there's something we're looking for that has to do with our family history, and Damon thinks we'll find a clue to it in the journal." I kept my reply as vague as possible, but still hugged the truth.

"Well what are you looking for? I read through the journal, maybe I can help."

It was sweet of him to offer, but I didn't know how to tell him without tipping our hand to what we were looking for. "Oh it's no big deal. Just you know, his family was one of the founding families too back in the day, and he's looking for an artifact that's been misplaced over the years.

"I don't get why everyone's so interested in the journal." Jeremy shook his head, reaching for a coke from the fridge; breakfast of champions. "First Mr. Saltzman looks like he's gonna wet his pants, he's so happy when I offered to let him read it, and now this? Even Anna asked if she could read it."

"She did?" My head swiveled around in surprise. "Why would she want to read an old man's journal?"

"She's real interested in the history of Mystic Falls too. Something to do with reconnecting with her family. I guess she has family that used to live here years and years ago."

My spidey senses were tingling over this tidbit of information, but I wasn't quite sure what to make of it just yet. "Oh? What's her family name?"

"I… don't actually know." He frowned at that. "She's never mentioned it before. Huh. I never thought about it. I'll have to ask her the next time I see her."

"You don't have any classes with her at school?"

"No, she doesn't actually go to the high school. I think she's home schooled maybe. She's not a dropout, she's really smart. And funny, and cool…" A foolish grin came to his face.

_Curiouser and curiouser…_ A girl with a sudden interest in our family history, with no last name who didn't go to school even though I was under the impression she was close to Jeremy in age. "You should definitely bring her over some night, she could take a look at the journal then. I promise I won't bite." I gave him a faint smile that rapidly dissolved into a yawn. The dawn was fast approaching.

"Yeah maybe."

"I'm gonna head on up to bed now, I'm beat." I yawned again, suddenly feeling very, very tired. If Jeremy thought it strange that I was going to bed at dawn and blowing off school again, he didn't say anything. All I got was a half wave as he studied the contents of the fridge again.

Trudging up to my bedroom, my mind kept coming back to this girlfriend of Jeremy's. There was something unusual going on there; I just had to figure out what it was…

**A/N: Phew, so tired I can't see straight, but I got the update done! Hopefully this chapter made sense… **

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	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind Damon stalking me... **

**To answer a couple of questions, Anna will be showing here just as ruthless as she started in the show. She's definitely got an agenda here. Vicky is still around, but I'm not bringing her into this because she was very hot and cold with Jeremy for a while, and in my timeline Anna stepped in to distract him before things got too hot and heavy with Vicky.**

_My spidey senses were tingling over this tidbit of information, but I wasn't quite sure what to make of it just yet. "Oh? What's her family name?"_

"_I… don't actually know." He frowned at that. "She's never mentioned it before. Huh. I never thought about it. I'll have to ask her the next time I see her."_

"_You don't have any classes with her at school?"_

"_No, she doesn't actually go to the high school. I think she's home schooled maybe. She's not a dropout, she's really smart. And funny, and cool…" A foolish grin came to his face._

_Curiouser and curiouser… A girl with a sudden interest in our family history, with no last name who didn't go to school even though I was under the impression she was close to Jeremy in age. "You should definitely bring her over some night, she could take a look at the journal then. I promise I won't bite." I gave him a faint smile that rapidly dissolved into a yawn. The dawn was fast approaching. _

"_Yeah maybe."_

"_I'm gonna head on up to bed now, I'm beat." I yawned again, suddenly feeling very, very tired. If Jeremy thought it strange that I was going to bed at dawn and blowing off school again, he didn't say anything. All I got was a half wave as he studied the contents of the fridge again. _

_Trudging up to my bedroom, my mind kept coming back to this girlfriend of Jeremy's. There was something unusual going on there; I just had to figure out what it was… _

__

_

* * *

_

About halfway up the stairs, the doorbell rang, and Jeremy was off like a shot to answer it. I hadn't seen him move that fast since he was in little league about a zillion years ago and that in and of itself made me pause on the stair. The sound of soft feminine laughter made me turn and slip back down the stairs, listening intently.

"No it's fine. I like surprises." Jeremy was murmuring, his body blocking the door.

"Good, because I thought maybe we could have a little bit of time to hang out before you have to get to school. Here, I brought you something to help open your eyes." A girl's voice replied.

"Thanks, that's really decent of you." Jeremy accepted something in a white coffee cup that smelled like chai. Since when had Jeremy started drinking tea? "Do you want to maybe…"

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" I interrupted, pulling the door out of his grasp and swinging it wide. A girl was standing on our porch with brown hair and eyes, a little on the short side, dressed like a typical teenager in jeans and a dark hoodie. I did my best to add a cheerful smile, though my spidey senses were going haywire now. Was this the girl he was telling us about before? What was her name… Anna?

Surprise and maybe disappointment mingled on the girl's features, but she recovered swiftly, replacing it with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You must be Elena, I've heard so much about you."

"And you must be Anna… I wish I could say I knew more about you, but I just heard your name for the first time today." I smiled back just as woodenly.

"There's not much to tell, what you see is pretty much what you get." Anna gave another tight smile before returning her gaze to Jeremy. "Um so anyway, I was hoping we might have a chance to work on that project I was talking about. Did you have a chance to get that source material back?"

The journal. She was actually talking about the Jonathan Gilbert's journal! Why was she so hot to get her hands onto it?

"Ah, no sorry, I haven't gotten it back yet from my teacher. But actually my sister's boyfriend…"

"Gets really bored when we talk too much about the family history." I interrupted him.

"Is that a fact?" Her dark eyes bored into mine and I could tell she wasn't buying it for a moment. She certainly looked far older than her years from the calculating expression on her face and I was definitely thinking there was much more to this girl than met the eye! "Hey Jeremy, do you mind if I come in and use your bathroom? I've already had two cups of tea so far this morning." She pulled her eyes away from mine to give him a sheepish smile.

Suddenly I knew it would be a very, very bad idea to invite her into the house. "I don't think that's such a good idea." I pushed my brother behind me, intent on shutting her up before he could reply. "My aunt is upstairs and she doesn't really like early morning visitors before she's had her morning coffee."

"I have no intention of disturbing your aunt… for the moment." Anna replied, her eyes flashing dangerously. "So if you don't mind…"

Jeremy looked confused. "What's going on? Of course you can…"

My elbow smashed against his mouth and he crumpled into a heap on the ground. I hated to do it, but it was better to cause him a little bit of pain now than invite Anna in, who I was sure was not only a vampire, but up to no good. When I looked back to her, Anna had a stricken look on her face, attention wholly focused on where Jeremy lay motionless.

"What did you do that for?" She demanded.

"I think we both know why." I replied, "What do you want?"

"It doesn't concern you." Anna replied distractedly.

"Anything that concerns my brother concerns me." I begged to differ.

Anna's eyes flicked back down to Jeremy's still form and then back up to me. "I'm warning you, I'm not as young and helpless as I look. The best thing you can do right now is stay out of this and I'll be gone before you know it."

"I'm not gonna just stand by and let you hurt my brother."

"Hey, I'm not the one who brought violence into this." Her eyes narrowed. "All I want is the journal, and then I'll be on my way."

"He already told you, it's not here. If I were you I'd leave before Damon gets back, he tends to get a little cranky when he thinks I'm in danger." My lips curved at the threat. Even if she wasn't afraid of me, I was willing to bet that she'd heard of Damon Salvatore and what he was capable of and would back off.

I would have lost that bet.

Instead of looking the slightest bit concerned by my ace in the hole, her lips tilted up in an unpleasant smirk. "I'm not afraid of your little boy toy. Now if you really want to keep your brother safe, bring the journal to me just after sunset, the graveyard by your parents' gravestone."

"If you think I'm bringing you anything, you're crazy." I scoffed.

"What's going on?" Jeremy sat up, hand going to his jaw that was starting to swell a little. "Did you just hit me?"

"Tonight at sunset." Anna repeated, backing away from the door.

I looked down at my brother for an instant and the next thing I knew, Anna was gone. "I'm so sorry Jer, it was an accident. Are you okay?" Crouching down beside him, I tried to get a look at his jaw but he waved me off.

"Where did Anna go?"

"She um, had to go. Look Jeremy, I don't want you seeing her anymore."

"What?" Jeremy shook his head, as though he wasn't sure he'd heard me correctly. "First you don't like me hanging around with Vicki and her crew and so I move on and now you don't like Anna either?" He pushed himself up to his feet. "Well screw you. You're not mom and you're not Jenna either. You don't get to pick who my friends are, okay?"

"Jeremy look at me…" I hated to do it, but if it was the only way I could keep him safe, I would certainly compel him to stay away from her.

"No, forget it. I don't want to hear it anymore." Jeremy pushed past me to the door, stepping out onto the front porch.

"Jeremy wait…" I moved to follow him, but the sun was starting to rise into the early morning sky, bathing the porch in warm sunlight. Instantly I ducked back inside. "Jer please… come back and talk to me about this!"

Jeremy didn't even look back as he stalked off. As I watched him go, I just hoped that the sunlight was giving his new vampire girlfriend as much trouble as it was giving me.

* * *

As agitated as I was, I didn't think I would sleep a wink until Damon came back with the journal. My body however had other ideas. Soon I was fast asleep, covered from head to toe with my thick comforter.

I was vaguely aware when Damon came to join me in the bed. But my sluggish brain provided little more than a slurred "love you…" while I snuggled into his side. The press of his kiss against my brow and the feel of his arms wrapped around me was enough to send me back off to a deep and dreamless sleep.

When I woke just before dark, Damon was nowhere to be found. A moment's panic seized me. Had I just imagined his arrival earlier? Hadn't I asked him to wake me up to show me the journal? Bolting from the bed, I thumped down the stairs, pulling on my shoes as I went and nearly tripping over my own feet in the process. As it was, my momentum carried me too far and I almost collided with the front door but Damon was there to catch me.

"Graceful as always I see." He chuckled, helping me to right myself.

"Damon thank God, there you are!" I let out a pent up breath.

"Missed me did you?" His smile grew wider. "Let's go back upstairs then."

"No… I mean yes but…" I was all frazzled, my brain still a little fuzzy from sleep. "Did you get it? The journal?"

"Yeah, I did and Jeremy was right, there is some really weird shit in there. The guy was obviously cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Why are you so upset?" He started to clue into my agitation.

"Jeremy's girlfriend Anna, she's a vampire and… Jeremy!" I called out, wondering if my brother had ever come home. Not for the first time I cursed my body's need for sleep during daylight hours. How could I have let so many hours go by? There was precious little time before sunset now, very little time to plan anything other than complying with Anna's demands.

"He's not here. Elena, what's going on? What do you mean his girlfriend is a vampire?" Damon's brows drew together.

"She stopped by this morning after you left and she's after the journal. She basically threatened Jeremy if we don't bring it to her just after sunset tonight at the graveyard. Damon, what are we gonna do?"

"Why would she want the journal?" He frowned, moving into the living room where the journal sat on the coffee table.

I was already digging out my cellphone, fingers flying over the keys as I dialed my brother's phone. Straight to voicemail; that wasn't a very good sign, not at all… "Did you find anything useful in it at all? We don't have much time."

"No, so far it's a lot of ramblings about some of the strange goings on in town and his crazy inventions. He actually said he made a real vampire detector, can you imagine? I've got about a third of it left to read though."

"Well you can read in the car, we've gotta get down there fast. I don't want her panicking into doing anything stupid."

"You're not really thinking about turning this over to her are you? Elena, we need to study this journal at a deeper level. The chances that we'll find what we need at first glance are remote."

"I don't care. My brother's life is more important than any stupid journal or grimoire or anything." I shook my head, already moving for the door. "Now are you coming or what?"

"Of course I am." He gave me a pained look, as if he was a little disturbed that I had even asked in the first place. "You drive, I'll try and read fast." Luckily the sun had slipped far enough from the sky that I was able to step out into the twilight.

It was easily one of the most nerve wracking drives that I'd ever made. Part of me wanted to put the pedal to the metal and race down to the cemetery, eager to get my brother back at any cost. But I had to keep to a slow enough speed to give Damon at least some time to skim through the rest of the journal and try to find what we were looking for. But every time we stopped for a traffic light my toes tapped nervously, a sickening pit of worry growing in my stomach with each minute that stretched.

"Wait… I think this is it…" Damon muttered finally, while we were only a few blocks from our destination. "Slow down a little. She won't think it's odd that you're trying to scope out the place and get the lay of the land."

I slowed to a crawl, trying to look everywhere at once, but I didn't spot either her or my brother. Pulling into a parking spot, I gave Damon a worried glance. "So?"

"We're golden." He grinned up at me, eyes bright even in the darkened car. "Come on, let's go get your brother back." With a quick kiss to my temple, he was out of the car, and I was right on his heels.

I'd been to the cemetery a hundred times since the death of my parents, and it had never felt me with the sense of dread that it did that night. As we approached my parents' grave, I was grateful to have Damon's comforting hand in mind, especially when I saw Anna perched on the headstone… and no sign of Jeremy.

"Damon Salvatore." She called out by way of greeting, eyes traveling up and down his form. "It's been a long time."

"I know you." Damon replied, sounding as if he couldn't quite place her.

"I'm surprised you remember me. You seem to have put everyone else from that time out of your mind. Except for Katherine I suppose." She looked at me.

"I'm not Katherine." I all but growled, still sore over the comparison.

"Obviously. Katherine would never have turned up with the journal in hand unless she had some leverage of her own to barter with." Anna hopped down off the stone marker, gesturing to the book in Damon's hands.

"Where do I know you from…?" Damon seemed lost in thought and I pinched his hand, I really needed his head in the game.

"God, you really were wrapped up in your own little world weren't you? Eyes for nobody but that lying little bitch. It's because of her that they were all trapped in the tomb, did you know that?" Anna's eyes narrowed. "Do you happen to remember a friend of Katherine's, Pearl? And her daughter Annabelle?"

Damon's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh right! Sorry, didn't recognize you without the corset and hoopskirts. So is that what this is about? You want revenge for your mother's death?"

"She's not dead!" Anna's eyes grew shiny with unshed tears. "She's trapped in there, sentenced to more than a century of starvation and madness because of you and your brother. Because Katherine couldn't respect that we were trying to make a home here for ourselves!"

I started to understand the reasoning behind Anna's actions, but I still wasn't sure how Jeremy or the journal fit into it all. "Where is my brother?"

"He's safe enough, for now. Just give me what I came for and I'll be on my way." Her hand stretched out expectantly.

"Unh uh, no dice. We don't hand over anything until we see that Jeremy's alright." Damon shook his head, his steely gaze meeting hers challengingly.

"Fine." Anna replied, after a moment's pause. "Jeremy! Show them you're alright." She called out.

Jeremy stepped out from behind a copse of trees, "I'm fine." He called out with a wave.

I took a step towards him but Anna moved to block my path. "The journal." She prompted, her voice low and deadly.

"Give it to her." I nodded to Damon.

Damon set the book on top of the gravestone and stepped back and away from it.

Anna rushed to the journal, flipping through the pages quickly before she was satisfied that it was the genuine article. With a joyful smile she beckoned to Jeremy who loped towards us but moved to Anna's side. "This is it, I've got it." She beamed at my brother, who looked a little more pleased than I would have expected at the news.

"Does it have what you need in it?" Jeremy asked, ignoring us completely.

"I don't know, but soon…" Anna smiled.

"Jeremy… come away from her." I took a step towards my brother, but he just moved closer to Anna.

"Elena, I'm fine okay? You have nothing to worry about, but I'm not going back with you."

My mouth dropped open in shock but Damon started towards him. "Jeremy she's just using you. Look at me, she's compelled you into believing that you can trust her, but she isn't what you think she is."

Instead of looking at Damon as he commanded, Jeremy looked up at me. "She told me everything. I know exactly what she is, what both of you are. She isn't the one who's been filling me full of lies, you are." His jaw clenched with anger at that last.

"Jer… please, let's just go home and we can talk, okay?" I pleaded with him, but he was already shaking his head before I had stopped talking.

"He'll be safe with me." Anna said gently, reaching for his hand and twining her fingers through his. "Come on Jeremy, it's time to go."

"Jeremy wait…" I cried out, but there were gone in an instant, Anna moving so fast even my vampire eyes had a hard time tracking them. "Oh god… Damon… what did she do to him?"

"Just about the worst thing a girl can do to a guy. She got him to fall in love with her." Damon sighed, watching them leave. "Come on, we've got some digging to do before she finds what she wants in that journal."

**A/N: So, there you have it, enter Anna and now Jeremy knows about the existence of vampires. Now it's a race to see who can get their hands on the grimoire first. What did you guys think? **

**I've got the last VD episode recap up on my site with a little clip of that final scene between Damon and Elena. Did anyone else notice that Elena's eyes didn't really dilate when Damon was compelling her to forget? But now I can't remember if the compelee has as much eye movement as the compeller… Or is that just wishful thinking on my part? *sigh***

**Feedback is Love People**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind Damon stalking me... **

**Okay I know it's wishful thinking that Elena might remember Damon telling her that he loves her, but hey what can I say? I'm a romantic at heart no matter what kind of angst I like to put my people through, I like the hearts and flowers too. *sigh* **

**I think Anna does like Jeremy, though she does have her own agenda in getting her mother back and that comes first. Hopefully that won't end up with Jeremy in danger before this is over. **

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_Instead of looking at Damon as he commanded, Jeremy looked up at me. "She told me everything. I know exactly what she is, what both of you are. She isn't the one who's been filling me full of lies, you are." His jaw clenched with anger at that last._

"_Jer… please, let's just go home and we can talk, okay?" I pleaded with him, but he was already shaking his head before I had stopped talking. _

"_He'll be safe with me." Anna said gently, reaching for his hand and twining her fingers through his. "Come on Jeremy, it's time to go."_

"_Jeremy wait…" I cried out, but there were gone in an instant, Anna moving so fast even my vampire eyes had a hard time tracking them. "Oh god… Damon… what did she do to him?"_

"_Just about the worst thing a girl can do to a guy. She got him to fall in love with her." Damon sighed, watching them leave. "Come on, we've got some digging to do before she finds what she wants in that journal."_

_

* * *

_

There is just something spooky about being in the forest at night. Even the fact that I was a big bad vampire didn't lessen the uncomfortable feeling I had as we made our way through the trees to Guiseppe Salvatore's grave. I could see and hear better than the average person in the dark, but that didn't make it any less creepy.

It didn't help that I was feeling kind of down after our encounter with Anna and Jeremy. All those wasted opportunities that I could have clued Jeremy in to what was going on… I had thought I was protecting him at the time, but was I just being selfish? It was too late now, and I only hoped that whatever truth Anna had spun for him didn't end up with him getting hurt or worse. While having a new vampire companion might appeal to Anna to combat the loneliness, that wasn't the life I wanted for my brother.

And then there was the curse.

Damon's words weighed heavily on me; Katherine and Isobel both had left to keep the men that they loved safe from harm. Could I do any less to keep him safe? The trouble was, we knew precious little about this curse. What kind of damage could befall a vampire? Would it take the form of bad luck? Would Damon accidentally step in front of a bus? Be prone to papercuts? Break out in hives? Become a politician? (fate worse than death!) Or would he just drop dead one day without rhyme or reason?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Damon smiled at me from inside the grave where he was digging. We'd only found one shovel in the groundskeeper's shed and he'd made pretty decent progress, standing about three feet below ground level.

"Oh we're way over a penny." I gave him a faint smile, admiring the play of the moonlight over his features. God he was beautiful to look at…

Damon reached into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew a crumpled dollar bill. "What do I get for this?"

Hopping down next to him in the hole, I snagged the money out of his hand. "For that you get more than my thoughts." I dropped a quick kiss to his lips, frowning as I realized how warm he felt to the touch. Almost… human. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Just a little tired. This digging stuff is hard work. I don't suppose you want a shot at it?" He asked, handing over the shovel.

At first I thought he was joking. While he had been digging for a while now, I happened to have personal experience with his endurance, and I'd never seen him lose his steam so quickly. Then again, that was usually in much more pleasurable pursuits than digging up an old grave. "I thought you were supposed to get stronger as you got older?" I teased, accepting the shovel and starting to dig.

"I just need a minute to catch my breath." He frowned, climbing out of the hole and resting his back against the nearest tree.

"Uh huh, don't think I don't know what game you're playing, gramps." I grinned, assuming he was faking it just to get out of the chore. Maybe on some level he didn't like the idea of digging up his father's grave? It didn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I seemed to be making much faster progress than he had in the past twenty minutes. Maybe it was because the more I thought about it, the faster I wanted to get to that spellbook before Anna figured out where to find it.

Before too long the shovel hit the wood of the casket with a splintering sound and I looked up at Damon excitedly. He was sitting there with his eyes almost completely shut and a flicker of annoyance went through me. "Are you taking a nap?" I demanded, hand going to my hip.

His eyes popped open instantly. "Of course not, I was just… did you find it?" Dropping the subject, he hopped down into the hole beside me, moving just as spry as ever.

"I've got something." Not wanting to get that up close and personal with a corpse, even an old dried out one, I handed the shovel over. "Your turn."

It only took him a few moments to get the rest of the dirt cleared away and then he used the tip of the shovel to pry the lid open. We both peered inside, looking for some sign of the book.

There was nothing there but the corpse.

"Maybe it's under him." My nose crinkled up with distaste. "Turn him over."

"You turn him over…" Damon scowled, trying to get the shovel under what was left of his father's shoulders. "There's nothing in here but the old man."

We both stared at the coffin stupidly, at a loss for what to do next. I had been so convinced we'd find the grimoire inside, I hadn't stopped to think about what we might do if it wasn't. "Maybe it's underneath the casket?" I suggested.

"I really don't think they'd bury it beneath him, the journal said it was buried with him."

"Well okay yeah, but I mean we've already come this far, we might as well check, right?" I pressed.

"Okay fine, but after this we get to do something I want to do." Damon pouted, trying to find a good place to put his feet in order to tip the coffin up.

"You say that like you think this is my idea of fun." I shook my head.

"But it's just about to get interesting, isn't it?" Anna's voice came from the darkness, and both of our heads snapped up.

Cursing myself for not having the presence of mind to keep a look out, I watched Anna step out from behind a massive tree. Extending my senses to see if I could pick out my brother's presence nearby, I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or worried when I found no sign of him. Then again, out in the open, it was easy to conclude that any noise he might make would be masked by the other sounds of the night.

"Actually, it's the opposite of interesting." Damon tossed the shovel aside. "We're both out of luck. The grimoire's not here." He reported with a sour look.

"I'm not in the mood for games." Anna's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Hey, search the grave all you want, it's not down here. I'm sure Poppa won't mind, will you Pop?" He looked back down at the remains.

"You expect me to believe it wasn't in there?" Anna scoffed. "What have you done with it?" She demanded, advancing slowly.

"Where would we have possibly put it? We're both standing right here, we just finished digging; it's not there." I insisted, "Search us if you want to, but I'm thinking it's not small enough to be easily hidden."

"Why don't I try something a little faster?" In a flash Anna had me by the throat, pinned up against a tree. Even with my enhanced strength I couldn't budge her grip in the slightest. While I didn't need to breathe to survive, it did cut off my air flow, and I couldn't speak.

Damon vaulted out of the grave, immediately rushing to my aid. While Anna was obviously older than either of us, I thought maybe she would have a little trouble taking on both of us at once.

I was wrong.

With an almost bored look on her face, her other hand lashed out and caught Damon by the shoulder, forcing him down on his knees. I struggled all the more as I caught the flash of pain across his features, but nothing I tried dislodged her grip.

"I want that book." She said in a low voice, and I was grateful that there were no taunting words or bravado. Anna shoved Damon away and he flew across the clearing to smash against a tree. "Change of plan. You bring me the grimoire and I'll give back your girlfriend." Anna said evenly.

"Find it where? This was where the journal said it would be; you saw it yourself. I wouldn't have the first idea where to look." Damon picked himself up slowly and I wondered if she'd hurt him, as he was walking stiffly now.

"Start with the Bennett witches; they probably know more than they're letting on."

My eyes widened at the suggestion, but her grip on my throat prevented me from answering that ridiculous request. Damon replied as though he could read my mind.

"Bonnie? Trust me, she has no idea where the grimoire is, she's not on that level."

"But her grandmother is."

"How do you know all of this stuff? About Bonnie and the spell book and the journal and everything?" Damon wondered, his face twisted in confusion.

"I've become very adept at gathering information. I've had plenty of practice at it." Anna replied.

"So okay then, why don't we all go talk to them together then? Explain what you need, see if they can help?" Damon suggested, starting to work his way closer to us again. I tried to catch his gaze, willing him not to try anything stupid, but he refused to look me in the eyes.

Anna gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah right, just ask her to help open up the tomb of vampires sitting under Mystic Falls, that'll work. Stop it right there or I'll break her neck." She gave me a very convincing shake and a soft cry of pain managed to escape my throat.

"Anna, you don't need to do this." Jeremy said softly, stepping out from behind the big tree she'd appeared from.

Anna's eyes immediately went to him, a pained look on her face. "Jeremy I like you okay? But I've been trying to get my mother free for a hundred and fifty years. Do you have any concept of what that's like? Being alone for so long?" She pleaded with him, her voice breaking at that last.

Jeremy reached out to touch her shoulder. "Then take me as your hostage, they'll still help you find the grimoire." He offered.

Her head was already shaking though. "No, see, they won't fall for that again. They know I won't hurt you." Her eyes were deeply troubled, and I could see she was affected by his touch.

"You don't have to be alone." Jeremy said softly.

"We'll help you." I added as her grip on my windpipe lessened a fraction.

"Yeah right." Anna kept hold of my throat, though she eased up a little more.

"I mean it, I give you my word." I insisted, looking to Damon to back me up, but he was looking less than thrilled at the idea, keeping a wary distance for the moment.

"What good is that?" Anna scoffed.

"It's as good as mine." Jeremy added. "We'll help you get your mom back, I promise."

Anna stood there with indecision written all over her face, before finally, she let go of me and went to Jeremy's outstretched arms, face buried in his chest.

I staggered forward, going to Damon's side as soon as she had released me, keeping a wary eye on the pair until I reached him. "Are you okay?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He nodded, but I could see a fine sheen of sweat on his brow… that wasn't a good sign. Not at all.

"Look, why don't we all go somewhere to talk this out, see what we can come up with?" I suggested. While I didn't like the idea of anything that involved letting a bunch of angry vampires out of a sealed tomb, Anna held my brother's life in the palm of her delicate little hand, and I firmly subscribed to the idea of keeping my enemies close by, where I could keep an eye on her. I suppose on another level I felt a little sorry for her too. I knew what it was like to lose a mother and if I'd had a chance to save her? I would have tried anything to do it too.

"Let's go to my place." Damon offered. "I can use a drink." He winced as he straightened.

"Good idea." I flashed him a look of thanks. The last thing I wanted to do was invite Anna into our house, and I could only hope that Jeremy hadn't done so already.

"Alright." Anna nodded. "We'll meet you there. There's something I have to do first."

"And we should put the old man back to rest." Damon nodded back.

"Okay sounds good, we'll see you in a little bit then." Jeremy looked relieved, and led Anna off into the darkness.

"I'll take care of it, okay? You just rest." I reached down for the shovel, unable to keep the worry from my face. What was worse was that Damon just grunted his agreement and went to sit down under the tree again. I'd never seen him looking so weak before, and it scared me.

It didn't take me very long to replace the dirt over the coffin, but I didn't make much of an effort to tamp it all back down and make it look undisturbed. On the off chance that someone would come along and wonder if the grave had been disturbed, it couldn't be linked to us, so I decided it was more important to get Damon back home.

"Feeling any better?" I asked, offering him a hand up.

"Yeah, good as new." Damon gave me a tight smile, but he still accepted my hand up.

"You don't look very good." I couldn't help but touch his face as he rose, again noting that he felt much warmer than he normally did. Could vampires even get a fever?

"That's not a very nice thing to say." He muttered.

"Well sorry, but you look kinda hot." I replied, laying my hand on his forehead.

"That's better." He gave me a lopsided grin. "You look pretty hot yourself."

"Damon I'm serious, you look like you could be coming down with something." I frowned, my arm going around his waist as we walked back to the car.

"Don't be ridiculous. I haven't been sick a day in my life. Even when I was alive I was exceptionally healthy. Good genes." Damon boasted.

Men always found the craziest things to brag about… I dropped the subject for the moment, but I found myself watching him like a hawk on the way back to his place. While he seemed to lose the pinched look of pain around his eyes after a while, his skin definitely remained warmer than usual. I had to wonder… was this the first sign of the curse?

Would Damon grow weaker and eventually die?

I kept these thoughts to myself as we waited for Jeremy and Anna to arrive. But as I caught Damon's expression in an unguarded moment, I had to wonder if he was thinking them as well?

**A/N: So no grimoire! This will complicate things for our favorite couple. And the first symptom of the curse rears its ugly head… poor Damon! Don't worry, you guys know I love Damon too much to kill him off, but things will definitely get worse before they get better. **

**This is now my highest rated fic! Thanks so much for all the support and feedback, I couldn't do this without you guys!**

**New VD tomorrow night, Woot! **

**Feedback is Love People**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind stealing Damon to save him from the curse... **

**Thanks for the great reviews and comments! **

**All I can say is that **_**someone**_** got to the grimoire first. **

**Also, it's an interesting idea, Damon turning human, (and it gives me an idea for an interesting future fic) but I don't think the curse would work that way. a) she could just turn him again. b) how would that have affected Alaric?**

**Don't worry guys, Damon will be okay in the end, but he's definitely got a rough road ahead of him.**

"_Damon I'm serious, you look like you could be coming down with something." I frowned, my arm going around his waist as we walked back to the car._

"_Don't be ridiculous. I haven't been sick a day in my life. Even when I was alive I was exceptionally healthy. Good genes." Damon boasted. _

_Men always found the craziest things to brag about… I dropped the subject for the moment, but I found myself watching him like a hawk on the way back to his place. While he seemed to lose the pinched look of pain around his eyes after a while, his skin definitely remained warmer than usual. I had to wonder… was this the first sign of the curse? _

_Would Damon grow weaker and eventually die? _

_I kept these thoughts to myself as we waited for Jeremy and Anna to arrive. But as I caught Damon's expression in an unguarded moment, I had to wonder if he was thinking them as well? _

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_

* * *

_

By the time we got back to the boardinghouse Damon seemed fine, but as we climbed up the stairs, the craziest thing happened. Damon sneezed. And not just once, it was like he was suddenly allergic to something because he sneezed a dozen times in quick succession. I wasn't sure if he looked more surprised or annoyed at the phenomenon, but he tried to blow it off like it was no big deal, like there was something in the air. Once inside, he excused himself to go change and I took the opportunity to make a quick phone call, bringing up Stefan's number. He answered after the second ring.

"Elena, is everything okay?"

"Things could be better." I replied mildly, wanting to hear whatever news he had to share first. "Are you having any luck?"

"Not so much, in fact we were probably going to start heading back tonight." He admitted.

"Oh good." It was hard to keep the relief out of my voice.

"Good? What's going on?"

"Not good that you didn't have much luck, but good that you're coming back soon." I clarified quickly before plunging into the question that was plaguing me. "Stefan, do vampires ever get sick?"

There was a pause on the line before he replied. "Not really. Well, not in the traditional sense as in catching an illness, though we can get sick from something we eat. Like if we feed on the dead or someone who has vervain in their system. Why do you ask?"

"It's probably nothing, I was just wondering." I hedged, thinking that Damon might not like me letting everyone know if he was more vulnerable than usual; even if that someone was his brother.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm just fine. But there have been developments since you left. Did you ever meet a vampire named Anna or Annabelle?" I brought up the other worry in the forefront of my mind.

"Anna… it's a common enough name, I might have met a vampire named Anna over the years, but no one is coming to mind in particular." He replied.

"This one looks like a teenager, she would have been around when you got turned, or just before even. She and her mother came to Mystic Falls around then." I tried to jog his memory.

"Oh… wait… now that you mention it… Katherine had a friend… Pearl her name was. She had a daughter by the name of Annabelle I think. Never really spoke to her much, but I think they were both locked up in the tomb."

"No, she's here in Mystic Falls looking to get her mother out of the tomb. She was after the grimoire too."

"So she has the grimoire then?"

"No, it wasn't in the grave like the journal said it would be. And that's not the worst of it. She's managed to get Jeremy all caught up in the middle of this." It was impossible to keep the worry out of my voice.

"Jeremy?" Stefan was silent for a moment and I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head. "Well be home in a few hours."

"You don't have to rush home on my account, not if there's another angle you could be working with your friend the witch."

"No, I think that's pretty played out, we'll see you soon." Stefan promised.

"Okay, see you soon then." I replied, noticing then that I had an email from Alaric.

_Elena,_

_I've started translating Katherine's journal, but it's slow going. I didn't start at the beginning;, somehow I thought that the end might be more relevant, so this is a few entries from the end. I'll send you the next one as soon as I can._

_Alaric_

The short journal entry was copied into the body of the email:

_It will be time to move on again soon. I should be well used to it by now and yet; I find myself lingering among these people. One in particular will be difficult to leave. It has been many years since I allowed myself the luxury to dream, but when I close my eyes he waits for me with open arms. No judgment in his azure gaze, only acceptance and love. It is tempting, oh so tempting to think of bringing him with me. To share immortality with another; but I know all too well what will happen if I choose a new companion. For now, I must resign myself to enjoying his company while I can. My darling S- I will await you in my dreams._

_K_

"Bad news?" Damon asked as he appeared on the stairs.

"What? No, just reading this translation of one of Katherine's journal entries that Alaric sent me. Why, was I frowning?"

"No, you just looked a little… intent." He replied, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his head on my shoulder to look down at the little screen. "See… told you she was hung up on me."

"S?" I turned to look at him.

"Yeah, for Salvatore." Damon replied as if it made perfect sense, and I didn't point out that it could stand for Stefan. Personally I didn't care which brother she had been in love with, as long as she stayed out of our lives now.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" I asked, reaching up to touch his face, but he pulled away.

"I'm fine. Honestly Elena, you're acting like I collapsed or something. I'm okay." He insisted.

"Yeah but before…"

"Hey, I admit, it chaps my hide a little to have my ass handed to me by a little girl, but she is older than I am, it stands to reason that she'd be much stronger than me too." He pointed out.

"True." I replied, more to keep the peace than because I believed that was the only thing behind it. "But you have to admit…" A knock sounded at the door and Damon seized upon the distraction to answer it, admitting Jeremy and Anna.

It felt strange to be sitting opposite my little brother and his girlfriend, knowing that she was the oldest thing in the room. But hey, who was I to talk? I was dating a considerably older man too, wasn't I? The topic of conversation instantly turned to the grimoire as soon as everyone was settled. We talked around and around it without much success for where to look next for the next half hour or more. "There has to be another clue somewhere to where the grimoire is." I sighed finally, settling against Damon.

"I'm telling you, the Bennetts have to know something about it." Anna insisted.

"Okay, I'll talk to Bonnie about it tomorrow. I volunteered, figuring it would sound better coming from me than if she tried approaching her. Anna seemed mollified at that, and I took the opportunity to make a suggestion to my brother. "You should get home before Jenna starts to worry…"

"I didn't care about that before, why would I start to care now that we have a way around that?" He scoffed.

A long drawn out sigh left my lips. "Jer, I don't want you guys messing around with her mind okay? It can't be good for her."

Anna laid a slender hand on Jeremy's arm when he bristled, commanding him with the lightest of touches. "I can assure you, I know how to get what I want without leaving any lasting damage behind."

Why did that not sound comforting?

It was agreed that they would head back to our house and I would remain at Damon's to wait for Stefan and Lexi and the news of their trip. I admit that I dozed for a bit, despite my best intentions to fuss over Damon and make sure he really was feeling better. Instead a few hours slipped by before I was startled awake by the sound of the front door. My eyes popped open, surprised to see Damon had fallen asleep beside me, his head still thrown back in sleep, mouth slack as he slept the sleep of the dead. "Hey, they're here." I shook him gently at first, but had to jostle him quite a bit harder before he roused himself, blinking against the light. "So, how did it go? Did you get her to make a ring?" Damon asked, and I realized I hadn't filled him in on my phone conversation with Stefan earlier.

"It's no good, it's against her morals to make a ring for vampires." Stefan sighed, taking a seat alone. Lexi had gone upstairs immediately, and I assumed it had to do something with her blood stash. I was a bit hungry myself, but things had been so busy, I hadn't had time to think about it much.

"So, you don't give her a choice." Damon scoffed, clearly baffled by Stefan's attitude.

"Hey, she happens to be my friend you know, I'd like to keep the threats to a minimum." Stefan returned.

A shrug of the shoulders was given and Damon waited for an explanation that made more sense to him. "And? It's Elena." He said finally as if nothing else needed to be said.

"Did you explain why it is that we're looking for a ring?" I asked, wondering if it was bad that I could understand Damon's point of view, even as I realized how far out of whack that sounded.

"Yeah but… see you have to understand. Most people, witches especially, think it's good for vampires to have a vulnerability to the sun. It humbles us. Not that Damon would understand the meaning of the word…"

"So we're pretty much screwed." I sighed, leaning back against the couch.

"Pretty much." Lexi called out from the stairs, drinking from a blood bag. "But don't sweat it, I've been getting around this whole time without one, and I've survived just fine, thank you very much."

My mouth started to water at the sight of the blood, but it was Damon who spoke next. "Did you bring enough to share with the whole class?" He smiled sweetly at Lexi.

"Don't tell me you've gone through your own private stash already?" Lexi replied.

"Not unless baby brother's been raiding my fridge." Damon turned to Stefan, who refused to dignify that with a response. "I'll be right back then. Can I get you something too?" He asked me, picking up my hand and pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist.

"Sure, A negative?" I smiled up at him, gratified to catch his wink in return.

"I think I need to step up the plan and start going around the city pretending to be Katherine even with out the ring." I announced sotto voce as soon as Damon had left the room.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Stefan frowned.

"I can't help but feel like we're running out of time. There's no grimoire in sight, and we're no closer to finding out how to break the curse… I think maybe it's time to be a little bolder." Damon's bout of weakness had me rattled, there was no doubt about that.

"What happens if you draw out the vampire that cursed her in the first place and he thinks you're her?" Lexi asked.

"That's good. Then we can force him to take it back." I replied, warming to the subject. "I figure we will either draw out Katherine herself, in which case we can find out once and for all just what the curse is and who put it on her. Or we'll find Isobel and that's almost as good, provided she knew enough to want to leave Alaric to protect him."

"Is that what you think happened?" Stefan asked.

"It makes sense. Along with why Katherine left Mystic Falls too, to protect the man she loved."

"You think she left to protect Damon?" Lexi's eyes widened.

"Either Damon or Stefan." I shared the brief journal except that Alaric had sent me.

Stefan looked unconvinced. "There was never anything real between us, I know that now. She compelled me, pure and simple." He shook his head.

"I still think it's kinda dangerous. Do you really think Damon is gonna go for this?" Lexi asked.

"Damon's gonna go for what?" Damon asked, appearing in the doorway, twin packs of blood in his hands.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Lexi smiled, tugging Stefan up to his feet.

"For the record, I think it's dangerous too." Stefan paused at the bottom of the stairs, making a point to catch my eyes before he turned to go up the stairs.

"Well, if Stefan thinks it's dangerous… it must be fun." Damon grinned, taking a seat next to me and pulling me into his lap in one swift movement before offering me the bag of blood. "What are we talking about?"

"Me, going into the city and pretending to be Katherine." I got straight to the point, figuring there was no sense in trying to keep it from him. In the end I needed him beside me to pull it off anyway. That, and I wanted him by my side.

"Do you really think you can pull that off? You're kind of polar opposites." He gave me a speculative look.

"Not that she's my favorite topic of conversation, but maybe you should tell me more about her then?" I suggested.

Damon was silent for a few moments, sipping from the blood bag. "Katherine… is all about putting herself first. She wouldn't know a selfless act if it jumped up and bit her in the face. So everything you do has to be about what _you _want. She wasn't big on consequences either, I think she would have had "if it feels good do it" stitched on a sampler on her wall if she'd been into needlepoint." He smirked.

"And she didn't give a damn for propriety, I'm pretty sure she thought herself above those petty concerns. She loved to be shocking in front of people she didn't care about impressing, but she could play the sweet demure lady when the situation called for it, she was no dummy about that, she didn't want to get bounced out of town. She also bored easily, so she was always looking for a new and interesting way to divert herself. I always thought that was part of why she got involved with Stefan too; until this business with the curse came up. But now… I don't know."

"So basically, I should just act selfish and capricious and I should be golden?" I quirked a brow at him.

"Only when we're in public. In private, you're still my Elena." He wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me closer and stealing a kiss from my bloodstained lips.

"Always." The promise was given against his lips and soon I had forgotten all about Katherine and grimoires and curses as he carried me up to his room. Tomorrow I would become Katherine. But for the night, I would share myself with him. The real me; the one who loved him body and soul.

**A/N: Okay so I know we know more about Katherine's motivations now from the show, but remember, the opinion of what Katherine is like is skewed by Damon's opinion, so of course he thinks of her as a selfish bitch even if he also thinks she left him to protect him. **

**No new episode this week, argh! How are we gonna make it all the way to December without a new ep? *grumble grumble* ah well, at least it'll give me more time to write... but I'd rather have a new ep. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind stealing Damon to save him from the curse... **

**Okay I know it's a poor substitute, but here's an update to at least bring some Vampire Diaries into your lives tonight.**

**Also, to answer the question: Is there something more to the relationship between Lexi and Stefan? I'll say… she might like it to be and leave it at that…**

_Damon was silent for a few moments, sipping from the blood bag. "Katherine… is all about putting herself first. She wouldn't know a selfless act if it jumped up and bit her in the face. So everything you do has to be about what you want. She wasn't big on consequences either, I think she would have had "if it feels good do it" stitched on a sampler on her wall if she'd been into needlepoint." He smirked. _

"_And she didn't give a damn for propriety, I'm pretty sure she thought herself above those petty concerns. She loved to be shocking in front of people she didn't care about impressing, but she could play the sweet demure lady when the situation called for it, she was no dummy about that, she didn't want to get bounced out of town. She also bored easily, so she was always looking for a new and interesting way to divert herself. I always thought that was part of why she got involved with Stefan too; until this business with the curse came up. But now… I don't know."_

"_So basically, I should just act selfish and capricious and I should be golden?" I quirked a brow at him._

"_Only when we're in public. In private, you're still my Elena." He wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me closer and stealing a kiss from my bloodstained lips. _

"_Always." The promise was given against his lips and soon I had forgotten all about Katherine and grimoires and curses as he carried me up to his room. Tomorrow I would become Katherine. But for the night, I would share myself with him. The real me; the one who loved him body and soul._

__

_

* * *

_

Damon was still dead to the world when I woke up sometime late afternoon. Relieved to find it was already getting easier to be up and around during daylight hours, I was surprised to see Damon still so worn out. After a quick shower I stole downstairs, figuring he could use the rest just then, skirting the windows as best I could. _What a pain in the ass…_ I wondered how Lexi could be so accepting of being robbed of the sunlight, but then again like she'd said, she'd been avoiding the sun for over three hundred and fifty years; it was bound to be second nature to her.

Still, it chafed to be basically housebound until dark. Too bad Mystic Falls didn't have an interconnected sewer system like on Buffy or Angel, those vamps didn't know how good they had it! Not wanting to waste any time, I called Bonnie up and she agreed to come out to the boarding house. I made sure to eat something before she arrived; things were still a little strained between us and I wanted to make sure our tentative reconciliation kept going in the right direction.

Bonnie wore a tentative smile that matched my own when I invited her into the house. "Got the place all to ourselves?" She asked, looking around with interest.

"Well us and a pack of sleeping vampires upstairs." I smiled, bringing her into a smaller parlor so we could talk without worrying about waking any of them up. "Normally I sleep like the dead while the sun is up, but I think I'm a little anxious these days."

"Sleep like the dead, that's cute." She smiled, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. "So, what's the big emergency? Did you find something in Katherine's journal about the curse?"

"I wish. So far it's coming out more like Sweet Valley High than Secrets of the Curse." I grimaced, "Actually I wanted to ask you about something else. We've been looking for Emily's spellbook, the one that was used to make the rings and seal the vampires into the tomb, do you know anything about it?"

"Emily as in my ancestor Emily?" Bonnie's eyes widened with interest.

"Yeah, you know she was Katherine's witch back in the day. Well her grimoire was supposed to be buried with Stefan and Damon's father; only it wasn't in there."

"Someone took it?"

"Maybe; or maybe the clue in the journal was some kind of smokescreen? At this point anything could be possible. Anyway, I was just wondering if you've ever heard a peep about it among your family? Or maybe you could ask your Grandmother if she's heard what happened to it?"

"Oh… maybe I could do a meditation or something? Try to contact Emily's spirit and ask her myself?" Her eyes brightened at the notion, and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. A séance sounded creepy and Bonnie looked entirely too eager to try it.

"Can you do that?" I asked, trying to keep the skepticism out of my voice. You'll have to remember that back then the most impressive thing I'd ever seen Bonnie do was levitate a few feathers. Communing with the dead seemed a little out of her league.

"Well it couldn't hurt to try, could it? Do you have any candles? A brazier would be better, or even a fire in the fireplace but a candle will work in a pinch."

"What's a brazier?"

"It's like a fire pit on a stand, for holding coals or open flame. People used to cook with them, or use them to keep warm back in the olden days."

She certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about. "I don't know about that, Damon or Stefan would probably be able to dig something up, but why don't we go with a candle for starters?" I suggested, retrieving a fat pillar candle that was sitting on a side table.

"It's too bad we're not at my place, some mugwort would help, or maybe some elecampane." She murmured, setting the candle on the coffee table and taking a seat on the floor.

"Mugwort?" I snorted, sitting down on the opposite side of the table to watch. "Now you're just making up words."

"No it's real, I promise!" She laughed. "Oh and some salt would be good too."

"How do you even know about this stuff?"

"My Grams has been teaching me, I'm getting pretty good at it." Her smile widened proudly.

"I… didn't know that." What else had been going on that I had missed because I'd been so wrapped up in my own crap? It seemed like ages since I'd sat down with Caroline or Matt or anyone from school and I hadn't even really missed it until then. Whether I'd meant to or not, I realized that part of me had already put that part of my life into the past. Would I ever return to high school? It seemed less and less important every day.

Luckily I found some salt in the kitchen and Bonnie promptly drew a circle around the table and herself. "This will be for my protection, so that anything I tap into out there won't follow me back." She offered by means of explanation.

"Um, does that mean it'll be out here with me?" That didn't sound like something I wanted to witness.

"No, you should be safe; I'll be the one establishing a thread of contact with it. This should be pretty boring for you to watch over all, it'll just look like I'm sitting here meditating on the flames. Watch this." Bonnie focused on the candle wick intently and it sprang into flame a moment later as if by… magic.

"Wow… I guess you are getting pretty good at it." I blinked, impressed.

"You have no idea." She grinned, before taking a deep, steadying breath.

She was right; there wasn't much to watch as Bonnie stared into the candle's flame. I occupied myself by trying to listen to the other sounds of the house, but everyone else was still asleep. With a start I realized that I'd started to zone out, and my attention snapped back to the present as I realized that there was something wrong with Bonnie. She sat very still, her back ramrod straight as she stared sightlessly ahead. Her eyes were glazed over with a milky white film, her expression utterly blank. It didn't even look like she was breathing anymore and but for the slow, steady beat of her heart I might have thought that she was dead, she was so still. All in all it scared the hell out of me.

"Bonnie?"

"Bonnie has gone." Bonnie's lips moved, but the voice that came out of her mouth was not hers.

"Gone where?"

"To the Summerlands."

"The Summerlands?" Why did I not like the sound of that? "Who are you then?"

"I am the one you seek. I am come to give you what you want."

The one you seek… could she be Emily? "The grimoire? Where is it?" I leaned forward expectantly.

"It was stolen from its resting place nearly a century ago. It walks the earth, protected by another within the line."

"Another Bennett witch?"

"Yes, our line is a powerful one."

"Anyone I know?"

"None that are known to you."

"So who is it? Where can I find this witch?"

A look of pain passed over Bonnie's features, and beads of perspiration stood out on her forehead. "I beseech you, do not seek out the book, no good can come of it."

"Wouldn't it be better to put it in the hands of someone good like Bonnie then? Someone who won't misuse it?"

"If the book is returned to Mystic Falls, great danger will return with it."

"What kind of danger? I don't understand. If she only uses the book for good, how can that be bad?"

"Power corrupts." She said simply with a wry twist of the lips and then Bonnie slumped over to her side with a groan.

I rushed to my friend's side, picking her up gently and laying her out on the couch. "Bonnie? Bonnie can you hear me?" I asked, feeling for a pulse; her skin had a chalky pallor I wasn't crazy about. Her eyes fluttered open but she still looked dazed as she tried to sit up. "Take it easy." I cautioned her.

"I'm okay, just a little out of it… wow, I guess it worked, huh?" Her hand came up to rub her forehead.

"Were you aware of what just happened?" Emily had said she was in the Summerlands, but Bonnie seemed to remember everything that had just been said.

"Yeah, it was weird. It was like I was watching you talk from far away, but I could hear and see you clearly. I kept running towards you but I didn't get any closer until with a whoosh I was back in my body again."

"Well take it easy. Do you want me to get you anything? Some water?" Slowly her color was starting to return, but she still looked like she might pass out again at any moment.

"No, I'm good." She replied with a tight lipped smile. "So… another Bennett witch has the spell book, huh?"

"That's what it sounded like. But it's okay, I understand if you don't want to be involved in trying to find it." I let her off the hook, not wanting it to be a point of contention between us.

Instead she gave me a curious shake of the head, her confusion evident. "Why wouldn't I want to be involved?"

It was my turn to look confused. "Well, you heard what she said, nothing good will come of bringing the grimoire here."

"I don't believe that." She said confidently. "There's nothing inherently evil about magic or spellwork, it's all about how you use it. As long as we're careful there's no real danger. And besides, like you said; it's better that the book end up in our hands than with someone who has questionable morals, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." I replied, surprised at how easily she was taking to the idea. _Where were my spidey senses that day?_

"I know I'm right. So the first thing I'll do is go talk to Grams, see what she can tell me about the other witches in our family line, and see if she's heard anything about this spellbook and where it might be."

"Okay, that sounds like a good start. I need to go out of town for a while so just call or text me if you find anything we need to follow up on, okay?"

"Where are you going?"

I summed up the plan for me to impersonate Katherine as quickly as I could, glossing over some of the more dangerous aspects. Namely the fact that I had no idea how Katherine would be received in the vampire community.

"Well stay in touch, and be careful okay?" Bonnie reached out to hug me instinctively, and I immediately returned it, smiling to myself how much easier it was getting to put our differences aside.

"I will and you too okay? No fair chasing off after a lead on the spell book without one of us to get your back."

"Elena I'll be fine, really. But if I need to I'll have my Grams with me, or I can always call Mr. Saltzman."

"That's a really good idea." I eased a little as she brought up the teacher. "Speak of the devil." My phone buzzed then and I brought up an email message from Alaric. "His ears must be burning, let's see what he said." I held the phone low so she could read the email as well.

_Elena,_

_I skipped a couple of entries that seemed to have a lot to do with shopping and trivial matters. Here is the next entry that I translated. _

_Alaric_

The entry read:

_I am such a fool! Once more my impatience overcame my better judgment, and I revealed myself to my darling S- in a moment of passion. Oh his face when he saw my true nature! A hundred years will not erase the memory of the fear in his eyes. It brings tears to my eyes even now to dwell upon it. I have only myself to blame, but my time here grows short. Though it was easy enough to assuage his horror and force him to accept me, now I fear I will never know if he would have grown to love me as I am if not for my compulsion? The longer I stay the more danger I place him in, and I do not know how long I can maintain this farce with his brother. I have come to understand that there are only two paths open to me now. I must either leave Mystic Falls alone or turn my beloved into that which he fears the most and hope that he grows to forgive me in time. What will I choose?_

_K_

"So which brother was the one she loved, and which one was the farce?" Bonnie asked, looking up from where she had been reading over my shoulder?

"I wonder…" A new idea had begun to take form for me, and I didn't think that Damon would be glad to hear of it at all.

**A/N: Next stop… to the city with Elena masquerading as Katherine! As for the other witch involved, how much do you wanna bet she won't let go of that grimoire without a fight? **

**Feedback is Love People**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind stealing Damon to save him from the curse... **

**Thanks for the reviews! Your instincts are right on, Bonnie doesn't do well with too much power does she? We'll have to see what happens if she ever gets her hands on that grimoire.**

**Right now I have no plans for Elena to accidentally shut off her emotions again, but that doesn't mean she won't make the choice to at some point. **

_The entry read:_

_I am such a fool! Once more my impatience overcame my better judgment, and I revealed myself to my darling S- in a moment of passion. Oh his face when he saw my true nature! A hundred years will not erase the memory of the fear in his eyes. It brings tears to my eyes even now to dwell upon it. I have only myself to blame, but my time here grows short. Though it was easy enough to assuage his horror and force him to accept me, now I fear I will never know if he would have grown to love me as I am if not for my compulsion? The longer I stay the more danger I place him in, and I do not know how long I can maintain this farce with his brother. I have come to understand that there are only two paths open to me now. I must either leave Mystic Falls alone or turn my beloved into that which he fears the most and hope that he grows to forgive me in time. What will I choose?_

_K_

"_So which brother was the one she loved, and which one was the farce?" Bonnie asked, looking up from where she had been reading over my shoulder?_

"_I wonder…" A new idea had begun to take form for me, and I didn't think that Damon would be glad to hear of it at all. _

__

_

* * *

_

Okay so I probably should have said something to Damon about the entry in Katherine's journal. Just like I should have let him know about Bonnie's little walk on the possessed side. But when Damon slouched into the living room, his hair standing up on one side and matted to his head on the other looking like something the cat dragged in, I just didn't have the heart. Instead I brought him a mug of blood all warmed up in the microwave and tucked him onto the couch with a fuzzy blanket.

"I could get used to this." He smiled over his mug.

"Feeling like you're coming down with something?"

"No, being pampered. If this is what it's like to get sick… well then maybe that's not such a bad thing after all." His grin was somewhat marred by the sneeze that followed, and I hid a smile behind my own mug of cocoa.

"I'd pamper you like this without getting sick you know, all you had to do was ask." I pointed out, reaching up to smooth the hair down behind his ear.

"Really? What else can I get if I just ask?" He flashed his eyes at me playfully.

"Do you really think you're feeling up for something like that?" He was still running warm for a vampire, almost like a normal human.

"I'll show you what I'm up for." He waggled his brows at me, but when he wrapped his arm around my shoulders I caught the wince of pain that the movement produced.

"Damon, be straight with me. How are you feeling right now?" I pulled back to get a better look at him.

"I feel fine, just a little… beat up is all."

"Beat up? Anna didn't injure you that badly, did she?" He'd seemed fine when we'd gone to bed; in fact his stamina had seemed back to normal. But he was moving like an old man now.

"No I just stiffened up. Once I get the blood flowing I'll be right as rain. Why do people say right as rain? It sucks being out in the rain…"

I let him change the subject, deciding there wasn't much I could do for him in any case. Lexi and Stefan made an appearance at the stairs and I noticed a distinct shift in Damon's behavior. Kicking off the blanket, Damon slouched on the sofa, looking more lazy than sick now. I caught on without having to be told; he didn't want to let on just how crappy he was feeling. I gave his hand a brief squeeze and was rewarded by a quick wink.

"Any luck in reaching Bonnie today?" Stefan asked, perching on the arm of the couch beside me.

"Yes and no. I talked to her, but she doesn't know where the book is. She's gonna talk to her Grandmother about it, see what she can dig up." That seemed so much easier than explaining Emily's spirit or whatever it had been.

"So, we're off to the city then?" Lexi's face took on a mischievous cast, and I got the feeling that she couldn't wait to get out of Mystic Falls for a little adventure.

"Yep, I think we're as ready as we're gonna be, might as well start getting my face out there. I'll be counting on you guys for advice on what she'd wear and what kind of places she'd hang out in."

"Don't look at me, the last time I saw her she was all corseted up and swimming in fabric." Damon shrugged.

"Katherine liked to ride the edge of propriety and she had a love for the finer things in life. I think we can just translate that to current style and we should be fine." Stefan supplied.

"That sounds like a shopping trip to me." Lexi grinned and I found myself catching some of her enthusiasm.

"I won't say no to that." I grinned back, "Of course, I'll need some spending money from my Sugar Daddy." I draped my arms around Damon's shoulders, affecting a sultry voice.

"You want sexy clothes? I'll buy you all the sexy clothes you want." Damon perked up at the idea. "Hell, I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe, as long as I get to pick out the lingerie." He grinned wolfishly.

"I just might take you up on that. But for now let's start simple." I dropped a quick kiss on his lips.

"We're gonna come back to this though." Damon eyes were alight with promise.

*** some hours later, in the city ***

It had only taken about an hour to get ready once we'd finished our shopping trip. With Lexi's help I'd settled on a pair of expensive skinny jeans that fit me like a second skin. Paired with that I wore a red top in a thin, silky material that hugged my curves. The front was modest enough but the back was almost completely bare and I was glad that the cold didn't bother me anymore. We also found a gorgeous pair of black leather boots with stiletto heels that cost more than anything I owned in my closet back at home.

I took much longer in front of the mirror than I normally did, figuring that Katherine would spend plenty of time grooming, given all of the narcissistic tendencies I'd heard about. I had to admit I looked pretty good when I stood back to catch my reflection in the mirror. "What do you think?" I asked Lexi. Vamping it up, if you'll excuse the pun, had never really been my thing, I'd never been one for flaunting my sexuality, but the outfit did make me feel sexy alright.

"I'd say you definitely look like you're on the prowl tonight." She nodded with approval. But the real test is waiting out there." Lexi jerked her head towards the living room of the suite we'd rented under the name Katherine Powell where Damon and Stefan waited. "Let me go first, I want to see their reactions." She grinned and I couldn't help but smile back as she dashed out.

"Here we go." I breathed, stepping out into the living room. I'm still not sure which reaction was more dramatic, Damon's or Stefan's. Stefan rose to his feet, his eyes burning with an intensity I'd never seen from him while we dated and I could tell that he still wanted me just as much as he ever had before. Damon's jaw had gone slack, and my lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Could it be? Have I done the impossible? Have I rendered Damon Salvatore speechless?" I added just a touch of a Southern lilt to my voice as I imagined she would have spoken to them so long ago.

Instead of the reaction I'd been hoping for, a shadow passed over Damon's features. "Christ, you sound just like her."

"But you look… fantastic." Stefan smiled warmly, stepping forward.

"That's the whole idea remember?" I reached for Damon's hand. "It's good if I sound like her, I just hope I can pull this thing off." Damon looked less than thrilled with the reality of me about to pretend to be Katherine, but he remained silent. I imagine it was because he wasn't too happy that I'd have Stefan by my side instead of him. We'd spent the entire drive to the city arguing over it in fact.

My argument had been that Katherine wasn't all that big on gal pals, so Lexi wasn't the best choice in a companion. And if Katherine had been trying to protect Damon, she would never have been seen with him in public, so that left Stefan as my date for the night. I know, I know, I should have told him that I thought that Katherine was really trying to protect Stefan at the time, but in my defense I was really worried about Damon. Though he was trying to put on his game face, I could tell that he wasn't up to par and I needed to protect him for once. If that put Stefan in danger… well I hoped he was up to the task.

In the end Damon had conceded that it would be better for him and Lexi to watch from a distance, but I could tell that it bothered him that I'd be with Stefan. "Okay, are we ready to do this?"

"Absolutely." Stefan grinned.

"I'll meet you out in the hall in a second, okay?" I looked to both him and Lexi. Once they left I turned to Damon. "It'll be fine, I promise."

"Yeah I know."

"And you don't have to worry; I'll be perfectly safe with all three of you watching out for me."

"I know you will be." Damon brushed his lips across my temple.

"And no matter what you see me do tonight, just remember that I love you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" His brows drew together into a single dark line.

"It means… you know I'll be with Stefan tonight, and picking up someone to feed on. Just remember that I love _you_ and nothing that I say to anyone else is real."

"Okay." He blinked, and I could tell that his imagination was kicking into overdrive.

"Okay and…?" I prompted him.

"And what? You want my blessing to grope up my brother?"

"No, I was kinda hoping for a little reciprocation."

"You want me to grope up Lexi while we watch you?" His brow lifted skeptically.

"No you idiot, I want you to tell me that you love me back!"

"Sometimes it's just too easy." He grinned, no trace of ire left in his expression.

"Very funny, Damon…" I smacked him across the abs.

"I love you, Elena. You know I do, and I always will. No matter how much you carry on with Stefan because at the end of the day you're mine."

"Good." I leaned up to give him a fierce kiss before taking a moment to center myself, getting my head in the game as I paused by the door. "Showtime."

* * *

Trusting Damon and Lexi to keep up, Stefan and I left the hotel, going to a nightclub. The type of place where people went to see and be seen. The place was doing a brisk business, the dance floor filled with bodies swaying to the music that throbbed overhead.

We took a table in the back corner, people watching while we sipped at our drinks, getting the lay of the land so to speak. "Who do you think she would pick?" I asked softly, leaning close to Stefan's ear as I spoke.

"I suppose it depends on if she was feeling playful, or in the mood for a challenge."

My eyes roved over the candidates, settling on a good looking guy wearing a Navy blue t-shirt that was a size too small for him, but not in a bad way. His muscular build showed that he probably labored with his hands for a living. "Okay, I got one, wish me luck." Without waiting for a response, I rose from the table, putting a little extra something into my walk as I approached him, taking the seat next to him in the bar.

I could feel his eyes on me, but deliberately kept my gaze focused away, waiting for him to make the first move which came just a few moments later.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Slowly I swiveled to face him, he was better looking up close, his eyes were a mossy green with flecks of gold in them, his hair dark and tousled as though the wind had gotten a hold of it rather than the result of careful styling. "How about I buy you a drink?" I smiled. _So far, so good_.

That caught him by surprise. "You're not drinking tonight?"

"Oh I'm drinking alright; I just prefer to do my drinking someplace a little more… private. I don't suppose you'd care to join me?" _Oh it was almost too easy…_

"Hell yeah." His face split into a grin, his hand landing on my thigh. "Your place or mine?"

I covered his hand with mine, resisting the urge to shove it off, instead I ran my finger tips up his arm to linger over his biceps. "Just follow me." Brushing against him deliberately when I rose, I led him to the side exit, knowing with all certainty that he'd follow me anywhere, and I hadn't even had to compel him yet.

As I'd predicted, he followed me around to the rear of the building where the employees parked. It was poorly lit and offered all kinds of privacy with the added thrill of discovery at any moment should an employee decide to step out for a smoke. Even though we were supposed to be playacting, I have to admit, the promise of the hunt sent a thrill of anticipation through me. I would feed on fresh human blood after days of bagged blood; and Damon wouldn't be there to make sure I didn't take things too far. Would I be able to handle it on my own?

I didn't even see Stefan at first, though I thought I detected his stealthy footfalls as I pushed my victim up against the side of the building.

"What's your name?" He asked, grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulling me close.

"Katherine." I replied, not bothering to ask him his as I ran my hands up his arms.

"I'm Evan." He volunteered anyway.

"I don't care." I replied honestly, before letting him kiss me. Damon once told me that people's emotions colored their blood and I've found it to be true. Blood tastes different if someone is scared out of their mind, or sexually aroused. While scaring someone to death hasn't ever been a game I wanted to play, I have to admit that there is definitely a plus to making sure that your victim is having a good time before you start to feed. So I kissed Evan, letting him run his hands over my body for a good minute or two before I acknowledged Stefan's presence behind me.

I pulled back then, catching Evan's eyes as I exerted my will. "Evan this is Stefan. Say hello like a good boy." I instructed him.

"Hello Stefan." Evan replied with a placid smile, his hands still on me.

"Stefan, say hello to Evan." I held my hand out to him, wondering if he would take it. We hadn't really discussed how this would go down, only that he would come with me on the hunt, and that we would frequent a few places, being none too sneaky in leaving with a few victims. I would assume I would have a taste of each "victim" but had no intention of leaving a trail of bodies in my wake.

To my surprise, Stefan took my hand, pulling me out of Evan's grasp and hauling me up against his body forcefully. "Sneaking away for a little fun tonight Katherine?" The hint of a smile played on his lips. "You promised you'd share."

"You can have some too after I've had my fill." I smiled back, trying not to lose sight of the part with him holding me like that. "You don't mind, do you Evan? You like to share and share alike don't you?" I nodded at Evan, smoothing my hand up the expanse of his chest, appreciating his muscular form and he nodded back, that placid smile remaining fixed on his lips.

Evan moaned lightly when I kissed the throb of his pulse, my tongue laving over his hot, salty skin and god help me but my mouth watered as my fangs descended. For the moment I forgot all about the plan, Stefan being by my side and Lexi and Damon out there somewhere watching; there was only the lure of that blood pumping hot and ready just beneath the skin. "Good boy." I breathed, teeth sinking into his flesh, my body pressed up against him as I drank.

All of a sudden I felt Stefan's lips grazing over the curve of my ear, his breath cool against me as he whispered. "Kiss me."

Without thinking I did as he bad me, tearing my mouth away from the feast before me to press against his lips. A low growl emanated from his lips as his tongue swept out to taste the blood on my lips and I kissed him for all of five seconds before a curious form of déjà vu struck me. Damon had kissed me in an alley very much like this one the first night that I'd fed on a human and it had been intoxicating. This kiss with Stefan was pleasurable, but there was none of that forbidden thrill, at least not on my part. What was I doing? Would Katherine have done the same?

I broke away, but Stefan wasn't content to let me go, chasing after my lips, until the sight of the blood still freely flowing from Evan's throat caught his attention. Face shifting; he lunged for the open wound, drinking deeply. Feeling a little awkward, I stood there watching him drink. I was still hungry, but watching Stefan feed wasn't doing anything for my appetite. It was so different from the way Damon had taken me hunting; Stefan's fingers dug into Evan's arms, and his mouth worked at his throat, tearing the delicate flesh there. "Stefan…" I nudged at him, worry starting to edge out my need to keep this farce going. Stefan blithely ignored me, continuing to feed.

"Stefan." I tried a little more sternly, pulling him away with a good solid yank.

Stefan whirled towards me, his face carved into a threatening snarl as I took him from his meal. I'd never seen him like that; so out of control, so… predatory. Part of me was appalled, but a very small part of me, the predator within I suppose, that part of me couldn't help but sit up and take notice. "Enough." I put all the command I could muster into my voice, delivering it with a backhand, convincing myself it was for his own good.

Evan slumped to the ground, but Stefan was only thrown minimally off balance. Still, it was enough to shake him out of the blood haze he'd been in, and I saw my Stefan looking out of his eyes again. "Sorry…" He murmured, brushing his mouth with the back of his hand.

Crouching down in front of Evan, I took a look at the damage to his throat. It didn't look too good, and I tore a strip from the hem of his shirt to wrap around him as a makeshift bandage. "Evan? Do you think you can stand?" I asked, him, but his head was lolling to one side. "Shit. This wasn't supposed to happen." My eyes flashed up at Stefan with real anger. Damn him for losing control anyway. Wasn't I supposed to be the newbie that had to be reigned in?

"Okay plan B. You make sure Evan gets home, I'm gonna try something else." I straightened, trying to get Stefan to look me in the eye. "Can you do that or will you lose control again and end up finishing the job?" I searched his face.

"No, I can do it; I'll make sure he gets home safely." He replied, a miserable look on his face.

"Good, I'll meet you back at the hotel later." I turned my back on them, drawing out my phone and dialing Lexi."

"Tell me that guy isn't dead." Lexi answered the phone.

"No, he's okay, but I think we need a change of plans. Meet me at the Catalyst on 132nd and Porter, do you know where that is?"

"No, but I'll just follow you there." She replied.

"Okay, see you soon." Hanging up, I turned back to see Stefan pulling Evan up to his feet, insinuating himself under his shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry Ele… Katherine." He corrected himself quickly.

Not trusting myself to speak, I gave him a brief nod and got the hell out of there.

**A/N: So the first stop on the Katherine tour didn't exactly turn out as planned, but I think Plan B will work out a bit better for Elena.**

**In unrelated news, **_**driver picks the music**_** says that ****Ian Somerhalder is in the running to be the new superman in the next movie. How awesome would that be?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind stealing Damon to save him from the curse... **

**Sorry guys, I think I posted out of order after the holiday break and updated **_**Tabula Rasa**_** instead of this one first. I hope everyone in the States had a nice holiday weekend. **

"_Okay plan B. You make sure Evan gets home, I'm gonna try something else." I straightened, trying to get Stefan to look me in the eye. "Can you do that or will you lose control again and end up finishing the job?" I searched his face._

"_No, I can do it; I'll make sure he gets home safely." He replied, a miserable look on his face. _

"_Good, I'll meet you back at the hotel later." I turned my back on them, drawing out my phone and dialing Lexi."_

"_Tell me that guy isn't dead." Lexi answered the phone._

"_No, he's okay, but I think we need a change of plans. Meet me at the Catalyst on 132__nd__ and Porter, do you know where that is?"_

"_No, but I'll just follow you there." She replied._

"_Okay, see you soon." Hanging up, I turned back to see Stefan pulling Evan up to his feet, insinuating himself under his shoulder. "You gonna be okay?"_

"_Yeah, I'm sorry Ele… Katherine." He corrected himself quickly._

_Not trusting myself to speak, I gave him a brief nod and got the hell out of there. _

__

_

* * *

_

Lexi joined me just around the corner from the Catalyst, falling into step beside me as I walked. As we got to the front entrance she laid her hand on my elbow. "Hold on a sec, I'm not dressed for a place like this." Peeling off her coat, she grabbed hold of the plain black shirt she was wearing, tearing it as easily as tissue paper. After a few alterations were made, her midriff was bare, the front held precariously together by a small jeweled pin, looking as though it might burst open at any time under the strain of her cleavage. The long plait that had been holding back her wealth of blonde hair was loosened so that her hair spilled down her back in crimped waves from the braid. A coat of deep red lipstick and she was ready to go.

"Wow, if that doesn't work to attract some attention I don't know what will." I murmured, impressed with the swift transformation. If we really had been on the prowl, I don't think there was a man or woman inside the club that would have stood a chance against us.

"The trick is to own whatever look you're going for. Doesn't matter what you're wearing as long as you act like you're the sexiest thing in the room. Well… at least in the top two." She grinned back.

The music was pumping as we strode in and I recognized Muse singing through the beat.

_They will not force us_

_They will stop degrading us_

_The will not control us_

_We will be victorious!_

I could feel the eyes on us as we entered, and I did my best to own it like Lexi had advised. It was all too easy to follow her lead and I had to remind myself that I was supposed to be the one calling the shots as Katherine. "I want a drink." I changed our direction, heading for the bar instead of the table she'd been leading us to. Without waiting to see if she would follow, I took a seat on a barstool, gratified to see her slip into the stool next to me a half a second later.

"You got ID sweetheart?" The bartender asked looking from Lexi to me.

"I don't need ID tonight." I replied, giving him a little push with my mind. "Just bring me a bottle of scotch, the best you have." I'm not sure what made me choose Damon's favorite drink that night; maybe I thought it would bring me a little closer to him. So far I hadn't seen him at all but I was sure he was out there somewhere.

"Leave the bottle." Lexi smiled at the bartender when he returned with the scotch and two glasses. "So what happened back there? It looked like Stefan lost it." She asked after he moved off.

Stefan… I'd been trying to put that incident out of my mind as soon as I'd left that parking lot but there was no avoiding it. "That pretty much sums it up. I had no idea he'd lose it like that." I replied, pouring us each a hefty drink.

"Yeah Stefan's never been very good with human blood, that's why he sticks to animals." She replied. "It's kind of like giving an alcoholic the key to a mini-bar, you just can't resist all of those cute little bottles even if you know it's a terrible idea and you'll be paying for it in the morning in more ways than one."

"So he's lost control like that before?" Why had nobody brought that up before? God knew we'd had plenty of time to go over the plan before we even came to the city. "Why didn't he tell me? I never would have invited him to drink."

"Maybe he thought he could manage it better? Maybe he didn't want to ruin the moment? It looked like you two were… kinda into it."

I almost could hear the words she left unspoken and guilt churned in my stomach. "I wasn't planning on any of that happening; I was just… in the moment."

"Hey, I hear ya; I've made a mistake or two myself in the midst of a feeding. That's part of why I don't hunt anymore myself."

There was no judgment in her eyes and I was grateful for that. I had enough to deal with without her giving me a guilt trip for leading Stefan down the wrong path. "Have you killed many people in the past?"

"Too many."

"How many is too many?"

"More than I care to think about." Lexi tossed back the remainder of her glass in one gulp, hopping off her barstool. "Come on, let's go dance. We're supposed to be having a good time, remember?"

Not wanting to press, I decided to go with it. Katherine would be out having a good time, right? "Let's do it." I agreed, draining the rest of my glass and following her out to the dance floor.

There were plenty of bodies out there, dancing to the music together. The pulsing crowd parted to accept us, swallowing us whole. We moved as one large multi-limbed organism to the beat of the music; the people around me only too happy to include me into their clique. It didn't matter who was with whom, we all danced and swayed together and for the first time in a while I felt part of the human race again.

Caught up in the rhythm, I didn't object when I felt the hands on me. At first I thought they were Lexi's, we'd been dancing closely for a while, moving in synch; but these hands were decidedly masculine. Well that was what I was there for wasn't it? I was supposed to be luring prey and I shouldn't be too surprised once I'd attracted one, should I? My hands covered his, holding him to me. He smelled overly strong of one of those male body washes… far too musky for my tastes, but I pasted a smile on my face as I turned to give him an inviting wink.

He was cute enough, tall and lanky, the vestiges of a goatee on his chin and the hint of tattoos peeking out from the collar of his t-shirt. Not exactly my type, but I could work with it. I closed my eyes and imagined it was Damon I was dancing with, my body brushing boldly against his. It was almost as if he was there with me. Almost.

And then I felt him, like a palpable presence. Even through the crush of bodies, the scents mingling together, the music thrumming I could feel Damon in the club. Opening my eyes I picked him out right away, sitting in a corner watching me, his face stony.

I lost the beat, stumbling awkwardly as my partner tried to continue with the dance. Trying to pick it up again, I was unable to find that detachment, my eyes locked on Damon's.

Taking it for something else, the guy leaned down to me ear. "Wanna get out of here?" He asked.

That was what I was supposed to be waiting for but I couldn't look away from Damon. I couldn't bear the idea of pulling the guy out into a dark secluded corner and letting him paw me while Damon watched. "I don't think I can do this." I murmured, pulling away from his grasp.

"What?" Not so eager to let go of his easy mark, the guy caught hold of my hand. "I'm not done with you yet."

Charming. Like that was supposed to make me want to go with him? "Oh you're done." My eyes flashed, sending a wave of compulsion into him. "You're done for tonight. You're gonna go home and cry into your cheerios about how sad and alone you feel. About how you're too much of a dick to get a girl to go home with you let alone love you."

"Sad and alone." He replied, his face crumpling with emotion before he turned and threaded his way off the dance floor.

Lexi gave me a look from across the sea of bodies as if to ask 'what gives?'.

"I'll be right back." I mouthed to her in a normal speaking tone, trusting her to pick out my voice even in the din.

Pushing my way to the edge of the room, I stepped into the hallway that led to the employee entrance, needing a break from everything for a moment while I pulled myself together. "You can do this. You can be her." I murmured; eyes closing as my head hit the wall.

"I'd say you're doing a bang up job of being Katherine so far." Damon's voice cut through my thoughts and I opened my eyes to see him sauntering into the hallway.

"Well that's what I'm supposed to be doing so far, right?" There was something on his face that I didn't recognize; it was almost the way he had looked at me when I'd first met him. Back when I hadn't been at all sure if he was going to help me or eat me up.

"I guess I should have listened to your warning."

"What?" My brows knit together, not tracking what he was talking about.

"You tried to warn me, I give you credit for that." He circled closer and a flutter of apprehension went through my belly.

"Damon I don't…"

"Why did you kiss him?" His voice was low, but it felt scarier than if he'd been yelling at me.

The kiss with Stefan… I guess I didn't have to wonder any longer if he'd seen that. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, it had felt in character but in retrospect it had been a stupid thing to do. Still, I hadn't expected it to affect Damon so much. "Are you angry with me?"

"Damn it Elena, answer me!" Damon's fist went through the wall to the right of my head sending a shower of drywall to the floor next to me and I flinched instinctively before going absolutely still. "Why did you kiss him?"

"I told you, I was playing a part. Maybe I got carried away…"

"Maybe?" He let out a short bark of laughter. "How far were you willing to take it? To take him?" Damon asked. "If he hadn't flipped out over the blood would you have fed with him like you feed with me? Let him drink from you? Let him take you in that parking lot?"

"No!" I recoiled from his words, both from the anger that fairly shook his body and from the images he was painting in my mind. Even though I'd kissed Stefan I hadn't felt the urge to do those things with him, not the way I did with Damon. "It wasn't like that…"

"That's not what it looked like from where I was standing."

"Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe you shouldn't be watching me like this." Clearly he wasn't able to keep any objectivity where I was involved. I couldn't blame him, I wouldn't want to watch him if our positions were reversed.

"Maybe you shouldn't be whoring yourself out to try and catch Katherine. Or is that just for show? Is this the way you'd rather have things instead? Go out every night and let someone rub up against you so you can drink your fill?"

For a moment I just stood there in shock, unable to believe he'd just said such a thing to me. And then I recovered, my hand rearing back to deliver a smack across his face hard enough to make my palm sting and send him stumbling backwards in the hallway. "I'm doing this for you, you idiot! Or have you forgotten about the curse?" I retorted.

"Well I would rather die than watch you take my brother to your bed in a misguided attempt at saving me." He spat out.

"It was one kiss! I'm hardly inviting him or anyone else into my bed." I pointed out.

"Everything okay here?" One of the cocktail waitresses ducked her head into the corridor, her face searching mine for any sign that I might need some help.

"Just peachy." Damon scowled.

"Yeah, it's fine. Jealous boyfriend." I gave her a brief smile and she gave me a sympathetic one in return.

"You sure honey?" She lingered by the wall.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's nothing I can't handle." I replied and she ducked away after a last uncertain look.

Damon slumped along the wall down to the floor, his head falling back to look up at the ceiling and I saw fatigue around his eyes. "I'm sorry," he began in a softer voice. "I just… I saw you kissing him and I went a little crazy. I love you Elena. I don't know if you can understand what that means to me."

"Of course I do, I love you too." I knelt down beside him, reaching for his hand.

"No, I don't think you do." Damon turned to face me, those brilliant blue eyes filled with emotion. "You've lived your whole life surrounded by love. Your family, your friends, Matt, then Stefan… I never had that. I've been alone my whole life, even before Katherine made me what I am. Even things with Stefan… they've gotten better lately but they were… strained at best for the better part of a century. He tolerates me, and it's my own fault, I know that. I push people away; it's just easier that way. Until you came into my life."

I squeezed his hand, not quite sure what to say without coming across like I pitied him because I knew he didn't want my pity.

"There's just _you_ Elena. And the thought of losing you to anything, this curse, my brother… it makes me crazy."

"No, there's just _us_." I shook my head. "Everything we're trying to accomplish here, it's so that we can be together without this curse hanging over our heads. Look I'm sorry I kissed Stefan. I'm the first to admit that I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm flying by the seat of my pants and it's real easy for me to take a wrong turn. But I need you to know; I didn't feel anything for Stefan when I kissed him, not the way I feel for you. I admit, I've wondered how much of the physical attraction between you and me was about our natural connection and how much of it was because of the blood and I can honestly say now… it's all you baby." I smiled at him.

"Yeah?" The corner of his mouth tugged up into a grin and I offered up a silent word of thanks that we seemed to be over the worst of the rough patch.

"Oh yeah, without a doubt. So you see, something good did come out of this, now I don't have to wonder anymore."

"So you're saying I should thank Stefan for kissing you?" A single brow rose in skepticism.

"Well… yeah, in a way."

"Don't push it." Damon growled, pulling me close for a kiss.

**A/N: So that didn't turn out quite as expected either. They'll have a change of plans in the next chapter and we'll see an unexpected visitor. Only a few more days till the next VD episode, yay! **

**Feedback is Love People**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind stealing Damon to save him from the curse... **

**The fight between them kinda came out of nowhere but I'm happy with the way it ended up. Stay tuned for some long awaited answers in this chapter…**

"_No, there's just us." I shook my head. "Everything we're trying to accomplish here, it's so that we can be together without this curse hanging over our heads. Look I'm sorry I kissed Stefan. I'm the first to admit that I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm flying by the seat of my pants and it's real easy for me to take a wrong turn. But I need you to know; I didn't feel anything for Stefan when I kissed him, not the way I feel for you. I admit, I've wondered how much of the physical attraction between you and me was about our natural connection and how much of it was because of the blood and I can honestly say now… it's all you baby." I smiled at him._

"_Yeah?" The corner of his mouth tugged up into a grin and I offered up a silent word of thanks that we seemed to be over the worst of the rough patch._

"_Oh yeah, without a doubt. So you see, something good did come out of this, now I don't have to wonder anymore."_

"_So you're saying I should thank Stefan for kissing you?" A single brow rose in skepticism._

"_Well… yeah, in a way."_

"_Don't push it." Damon growled, pulling me close for a kiss. _

_

* * *

_

After that I didn't have the heart to go back out on the dance floor to see and be seen as Katherine. All I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and snuggle up with Damon and enjoy the time we had together. Because that's how I was thinking of it… enjoying the time we had left. There was no doubt in my mind now that Damon was growing weaker every day and I had no idea how to stop it. The idea that we might somehow flush Katherine out seemed a stupid one now, given that if she knew how to stop the curse; wouldn't she have done it by now?

As it was, I just signaled to Lexi that we were heading out and left the club with my arm wrapped around Damon.

"No more hunting for tonight?" He asked as we hit the pavement, heading back on foot to the hotel.

"Not unless you're feeling hungry." I shook my head. Even though I hadn't had a chance to drink my fill earlier, I was fine to go a while longer without eating again. But then again, if he wanted to hunt, I would gladly join him.

"Nah, I'm thinking we settle in with a bowl of popcorn and watch pay-per-view back at the hotel and see where that leads us." He waggled his brows suggestively.

"It's a date."

By the time we got to the elevator I was thinking we would never make it to the popcorn because Damon's hands were all over me. I don't know if it was because he was feeling the shortening of time between us as well or if he was trying to erase Stefan's kiss from my mind or his; but his mouth claimed mine the moment the doors slid shut. For a moment I seriously thought about hitting the emergency stop button as his hips ground against mine, leaving me in no doubt of what he wanted. But in the end a fleeting moment of rational thought urged me to get him into a bed… the better to enjoy ourselves for more than a quickie.

Somehow we managed to stumble out onto the correct floor, more feeling our way along the corridor than actually watching where we were going. In a way I was reminded of the first time we'd gotten a room in the city together. Only this time, no being interrupted by a Katherine groupie; and hopefully no boneheaded mistake on his part about who he was in bed with. As soon as he got the door open, Damon's hands were pulling at the back of my top, unfastening the strings that held it together.

The sound of Stefan clearing his throat barely registered with either of us.

"Hey guys, get a room." Alaric's voice cut through the haze of passion, and I clutched my top, willing it not to fall off. Damon held me protectively until I could get it tied again.

"Where do you think we are genius?" Damon retorted, not at all pleased with this turn of events. "What's the Nutty Professor doing here?" He demanded, accusing his brother for letting him in there in the first place.

"He happens to have some information for us." Stefan replied.

"Well he could have waited in your room couldn't he?" Damon let go of me to head for the bar, pouring himself a drink.

"Just wait till you hear what he has to say. I thought this was more important that waiting for you two to have a little midnight delight and we decided it was best to wait here." Stefan retorted.

"_He_ is standing right here." Alaric raised his hand, affronted at being spoken about as if he wasn't in the room. "I've asked someone to meet us here. Someone you're gonna want to talk to."

"Who?" I asked, settling down on the couch with a hopeful glance to Damon to join me, but he seemed on edge, remaining on his feet; drink in hand.

"I… think it's better if we just hold off on all questions until she gets here." Alaric perched on the arm of the sofa.

"She? Dramatic much?" Damon smirked. "Look I hate to ruin your bid to be at the center of attention here, god knows I love to be in the spotlight myself, but some of us have better things to do tonight. So how about you just drop whatever thrilling revelation you have for us, and let us get back to it."

Alaric's jaw clenched tightly and he went through a visible effort to bite back whatever retort had leapt to mind. "I'm just trying to help. Why… I have no idea." He muttered the last.

A sharp knock at the door turned all heads and Damon instantly moved to place himself between me and the door. Just what was he expecting to come through there? I rose to my feet, wanting to be ready for whatever it was. My hand sought out his and he threaded his fingers through mine, offering me his strength. Alaric went to answer the knock, his body obstructing my view until he stepped back to reveal a petite brunette, dressed to the nines in a black Chanel suit, her hair swept up in an elegant updo. She stepped into the room as if she owned it, her eyes lingering on Damon as her lips twisted into an approximation of a smile. I felt Damon stiffen at my side but his face gave nothing away.

And then she saw me. Something flashed over her features that I couldn't identify and then the cold smile was back. "So, Elena is it? You do look just like her." She studied me critically, taking in my hand linked with Damon's. "I'm assuming this getup is part of your Katherine trap? Please tell me you have better taste than that."

Immediately on the defensive, I felt the corners of my mouth turn down into a frown. Whoever she was, she was a bitch and a half. Where the hell did she get off telling me how to dress? "Tell me again why I'm supposed to care what you think?" I said coolly before turning to Alaric with an expectant look. He had about three seconds to introduce his guest before I tossed her out on her ass.

"Ouch. Just between us girls I think Damon's starting to rub off on you sweetie. But then again, who am I to talk? I imagine some of my personality has been shaped by our… close association in my formative years." Her gaze returned to Damon almost expectantly, but he remained silent.

"Let's not get started on the wrong foot." Alaric interjected, playing the peacemaker as he stepped forward. "Elena, this is my wife Isobel, your mother."

I just stared at them, dumbstruck as I came face to face with my birth mother. Now that I looked, I supposed I could see a bit of a family resemblance around the eyes, or maybe the mouth… but there was nothing in this woman that I found the least bit motherly.

"That would be ex-wife don't sugar coat it." She patted him lightly on the cheek.

"I hate to break it to you honeybunch, but we're still legally married." Alaric reminded her.

"Well no, technically I'm dead, so that invalidates the marriage."

"Legally you're still just missing not dead, so…"

"Yeah okay you two can hash it all out later with Dr. Phil, how about we start with why she's here?" Damon's voice rose sharply, cutting them off and I was grateful for the intervention, my head was starting to spin.

"I heard through the grapevine what you've been up to. You've been a very naughty boy Damon, turning my daughter like that." Isobel wagged a finger at him.

"Don't call me that." The words came automatically from my mouth. It was blasphemous, Miranda Gilbert was my mother. "Don't pretend that you care, I can see that you don't." Maybe the words came out a little more bitterly than I'd intended, but my resentment for her had come to a head, crystallized by her attitude since having met her. I was ready for her to fade back into obscurity already.

"What is it that you think that you're doing? Katherine's not someone you want to mess with. Trust me, I know." Isobel ignored my outburst, focusing on what she wanted to talk about.

Trust wasn't exactly the first thing I felt for her. "I need to know how to defeat this curse. We were hoping Katherine could tell us more about the vampire that cast it on her."

"Oh god is that what this is about?" Her eyes flew to Damon, studying him carefully before she nodded slowly. "I never though I would live to see the day. Well in a way I guess I didn't." A bitter laugh left her lips. "And you actually care about her too, don't you?"

"Why did you come here Isobel?" Damon replied, still looking like he couldn't decide if he wanted to shove her out the door or bolt out the window himself.

"Believe it or not I came to help you. Why shouldn't you benefit from my hard gained wisdom." She replied, her tone softening a little as she looked back at me.

"You are forgetting that half of the people in this room are older and wiser than you aren't you?" Damon returned.

"I'll concede to older." Isobel's lips twitched into a faint smile.

"What are you offering?" Stefan asked, breaking his silence for the first time. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

"What I know about Katherine and the curse. But I warn you… you might not like all of what I have to say." Her eyes flicked back to Damon again.

"She's just trying to fuck with us, she doesn't know anything." Damon muttered, flopping down on the couch and taking up a relaxed posture as if he didn't consider her a threat. I knew him well enough to know that he was still coiled tight inside, ready to strike if need be.

"Just… tell them what you told me." Alaric asked in a reasonable tone, guiding her to one of the chairs. I took a seat as well. Stefan remained standing, far across the room.

"I was able to read Katherine's journal, you might be surprised by some of the things she had to say about the two of you." Isobel began, looking back and forth between the brothers.

I had a dizzying moment as I realized I was sitting in a room with my vampire mother who had been turned by the guy who was now my boyfriend and was about to tell me about my ancestor, the woman who had slept with and turned both brothers in the first place and that I just happened to be a dead ringer for. It all sounded like the plot of some crazy convoluted soap opera.

"So, go ahead then." We might was well get it over with as far as I was concerned.

"Katherine was convinced she could beat the curse by carrying on with both of you. She thought that if she masked her feelings, she could somehow trick the curse. That if she didn't let on just how much she cared about one of you, you would be safe."

"We already knew that." I prompted her to continue.

"Did you know that it was Stefan she was in love with?" Her eyes glittered in anticipation, watching Damon's face carefully as she delivered the news.

A snort left Damon's lips. "Yeah right. It was me she cared about."

"Did she ever tell you that she loved you?" Isobel asked.

"Well… no, not in so many words. But that's because she was trying to protect me." Damon insisted.

"I have a journal here that says otherwise." Isobel produced the book from her designer bag, flipping the pages open to a place held by a red ribbon. _"It is time for me to go and I my biggest regret is that I can not take my darling Stefan with me. For a while we tempted fate and I dreamt of a future with him, but when I saw nearly lost him today it became clear to me that I couldn't bear for him to suffer because of me. I curse the day I met you Arnaud and as God is my witness I will find a way to repay you for this misery! Until then, I will leave Stefan with a small part of me in the hopes that he will live long enough for us to be reunited again."_ Isobel looked up from the page. "It goes on after that, but mostly it's just her mooning over you." She nodded to Stefan.

"None of that was real." Stefan shook his head, stricken by the news. Damon looked just as stunned, and I waited to see how he would take it once the shock wore off.

"That wily bitch…" Damon muttered, but there wasn't any real anger in his voice, only surprise and maybe a grudging respect.

"I don't… why didn't she ever tell us? I mean after we turned?" Stefan asked. "She's had plenty of years to come clean. Or who am I kidding? I'm betting she moved on to someone new with the next town she breezed in to."

"Not exactly." Isobel shook her head. "She's been keeping tabs on you for all these years. Kind of like your own personal stalker. In fact she was the one who asked me to have Alaric warn you about the curse."

"She was?" That was interesting news to me. "Had she known that I was dating Damon at the time?"

"Ah no, actually when she came to see me you were dating Stefan. You should have seen her… I had to keep reminding her you were family; she wanted to scratch your eyes out for putting Stefan in danger again after she'd sacrificed so much." Isobel actually smiled a real smile and it transformed her face, making her seem almost friendly. And then she ruined it the next time she opened her mouth. "But when she heard you'd moved on to Damon she lost interest, said you two deserved each other." The way she said it did not come out as a compliment.

"Then she still cares about Stefan?" I asked. He still looked like he was in shock.

"Looks that way. Of course with this little stunt you're pulling in posing as Katherine, that's bound to attract all sorts of attention not just from her but possibly from this Arnaud as well. I think maybe it might be time to move on, give up this plan and hit the road."

"Leave? But that won't change the effects of the curse will it? It'll still catch up with Damon no matter where we go." I pointed out.

"Yes, it will. If you go together." She looked at me evenly.

"That seems kinda cold, don't you think?" Alaric frowned.

Isobel turned to face him. "Do you remember that time that you had pneumonia?"

Alaric blinked at the change in topic. "How can I forget? You were gone before I got out of the hospital." There was an edge to his voice when he replied.

"You couldn't believe that I chose to go on that business trip to New York when you were so sick." She nodded.

"Yeah, I think it was the beginning of the end for us." Alaric sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Isobel stared at him, waiting for him to catch up.

"That was the curse? But you were human back then…"

"Yes. Katherine paid me a little visit to warn me about the curse. It's what sparked my curiosity for vampires really. Of course I probably should have told you that I knew she was out and about when I found out how bad you were jonesing to get her out of the tomb, but I was more afraid of her than I was of you." She gave a half shrug at Damon. "Wait, did you think it only affected the women in our line that were vampires? Of which there are an inordinate amount I might add. It's amazing the line lasted this long. But all things must come to an end, mustn't they?" She said sadly, eyes focused on me.

I could only imagine what Alaric must be feeling, the confirmation that she'd left him to keep him safe… changing that perception of the end of their marriage… having to rethink every conversation, every fight… it must be mind boggling. Was that why she'd never gotten to know me either? In a twisted effort to keep me safe?

"Do you know how to get ahold of Katherine?" Stefan asked.

Isobel was a long time in replying, her eyes on Alaric, her expression inscrutable. "You don't find Katherine, she finds you." She said finally, rising to her feet. "Which is something I don't recommend."

"You're leaving?" Alaric caught hold of her arm.

"I think that's for the best, don't you?" Isobel easily shook her arm free. "Take my advice. Drop this plan of flushing Katherine out. She doesn't like having her plans messed with and trust me… she's got plans for all of you."

A feeling of dread settled over me at those final words, and we all watched in silence as she slipped from the room.

**A/N: So… happy with what we learned? Now the question remains, will they stick to the plan? Or try to find this Arnaud? Or secret option number three?**

**What did you think of last night's episode of Vampire Diaries? Quite a bit of Grrr Damon in this one which I have to admit, I kind of liked. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I watched the promo for next week. Hopefully I'll have the recap posted to my site tomorrow, I'm too tired to think about it tonight.**

**I also wanted to give a shout out to all of my readers for making last month my most successful month ever with over 71,000 hits to my fics on this site! I couldn't do it without you guys! **

**Feedback is Love People**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind stealing Damon to save him from the curse... **

**We won't see Katherine just yet. She'll probably see if she can get the effect she wanted by Isobel's visit first before getting directly involved. **

**As for Stefan, he will be dealing with issues from drinking human blood again, though I'm not sure how much I'll dwell on it. That's part of why he was standing so far away from Alaric, he's already having cravings for human blood. **

"_Do you know how to get ahold of Katherine?" Stefan asked. _

_Isobel was a long time in replying, her eyes on Alaric, her expression inscrutable. "You don't find Katherine, she finds you." She said finally, rising to her feet. "Which is something I don't recommend."_

"_You're leaving?" Alaric caught hold of her arm. _

"_I think that's for the best, don't you?" Isobel easily shook her arm free. "Take my advice. Drop this plan of flushing Katherine out. She doesn't like having her plans messed with and trust me… she's got plans for all of you."_

_A feeling of dread settled over me at those final words, and we all watched in silence as she slipped from the room. _

"So…" I said finally, trying to gauge Damon's mood but he seemed just as shell-shocked as the rest of us.

"It's late." Alaric sighed. "I think I'm gonna call it a night. You coming Stefan?"

Stefan gave a slow nod, filing towards the door with him.

"Hey… thanks. I know that must have been hard for you." I called out after him, and Alaric gave me a half hearted wave before he pulled the door shut. "Are you okay?" I asked Damon once we were alone.

"Compared to what?"

It was true, there were so many things wrong with our current situation I could have meant anything; his physical strength, his emotional state, the fact that Katherine had evidently never loved him. "Well… I guess I meant with what she just told us." I clarified.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Damon pulled me close, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You just met your mother for the first time and that's gotta be weird for you at least. She's some piece of work isn't she?"

"It was strange, I'm not gonna lie. I have to say I'm definitely glad she gave me up for adoption." If I'd thought about it I should have asked who my father was, but the way things were going I decided maybe it was better if I didn't know. "But are you okay with what she had to say?" I didn't want to come right out and use the K word.

"Honestly? In a strange way it's kind of like a relief."

Not at all what I'd been expecting him to say… "Um, but didn't you spend the better part of a century pining over her?"

"I wasn't pining." He frowned and I just gave him a look. "Okay so maybe I pined a little…" Damon allowed, fingers absently stroking my arm. "But now it's sort of a relief to think that she's not out there somewhere building all these fantasies about me. That way we can just forget about her, she's Stefan's problem now."

Somehow Isobel's warning made me doubt that we could just forget about Katherine, but I tried to put her from my mind at the time. "I'm all for putting her in the past, but now I'm wondering what we can find out about this Arnaud guy. Have you ever heard of him before?"

"Can't say that I have, and I've been all over the states and my fair share of Europe."

"You have?" My head came up at that, a little pang of jealously going through me. "I've never been anywhere good. Except for maybe Disneyworld, my parents took us when I was ten." It's still one of my fondest memories.

"We'll have to remedy that then. How about we do like Izzy suggested? Get out of town, lay low, put all of this in the past and see the world together?"

_But for how long…_ There would always be this shadow of the curse hanging over our heads until eventually Damon got so weak… I didn't even want to think about what would happen to him then. I knew what Isobel had been suggesting when she said we should give up the plan to find Katherine or Arnaud. But what could I say to Damon? "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Where should we go first?" I found myself answering.

For the next hour we talked softly, dreaming aloud about where we would go and what we would see. Damon wanted to start with Italy but I was a little leery of attempting a cross country flight without a ring to let me walk in the daylight. In the end we decided to take a road trip across the country, no particular route in mind, just seeing where the road took us. The time of year was favorable as there was a lot more night than daylight and Damon assured me he would be able to keep me safe from the harmful rays of the sun. What was important was the time we would spend together. I understood that money was no object, and I had long since ceased to worry about missed school.

We wove a pleasant fantasy together, and it was tempting, oh so tempting… but in the back of my mind I knew it would never come to pass. I wouldn't allow Damon to wither and die because of my love; and that meant just one thing.

I had to leave him.

I don't know when the soft talk and lazy touches turned into something more, but suddenly we were kissing. Unlike the frenzied grappling we sometimes indulged in, this was slow and unhurried. There was passion, but it was tempered with a new tenderness as we touched each other as though we were discovering each others bodies for the first time. Our clothes fell away as we stumbled into the bedroom. Once I felt him shift as if he might sweep me off of my feet but thought better of it, maybe unsure if he had the strength to carry me.

"Shh, let me do everything." I bade him, pressing him back against the soft mattress. With my lips and hands I laid worship to his perfect body, memorizing the planes of his taut muscles, the texture of his skin, the taste that was uniquely him. With soft sighs of pleasure and gasps of delight we came together, moving with practiced ease now, each knowing how to move to give the other the most satisfaction. I wanted it to go on forever but soon we were tumbling into the abyss together, hoarse cries of fulfillment mingling as I collapsed atop him.

"Love you." Damon murmured into my hair, already falling asleep.

My head came up to look down at his beloved face, his dark lashes fanned across the top of his cheek. "I will always love you Damon." I whispered, stroking his cheek. He was too beautiful, too perfect, my soulmate… and I would never see him again. Gently I disengaged myself, tugging the thin comforter over his body, watching him as he settled into a deep sleep, his chest no longer rising and falling in the mimicry of unnecessary breaths.

Swiftly I dressed, shutting the bedroom door behind me as I searched for my shoes in the other room. Fat tears were already rolling freely down my cheeks as I sat down at the little desk to write him a goodbye note. He deserved more than a hurried note but there was no time. Each moment that I delayed meant that he might wake up and find me gone and I couldn't have him come after me. The pen shook in my hand as I wrote, but I managed a steadying breath and put my thoughts to paper.

_Damon,_

_There are no words to express how you've wrapped yourself around my heart. Please believe that it's tearing me apart to even think about being away from you for a day let alone the rest of our lives. But it has to be this way. Better for me to know that you're out there safe and loving me… or even hating me for leaving, I don't know… but it's worth it to know that you're alive. Someday maybe we'll find a way to beat this curse, we have eternity to figure it out, right? Please don't come after me, if I can find Arnaud and get him to revoke the curse then I'll find you. Just know that I'll keep you in my heart forever. I could never love anyone the way I love you._

_Yours always,_

_Elena_

I stared at the words, wishing I could share them with him, but I knew what had to be done. Crumpling up the letter, I threw it away, starting again with how I knew it should go to keep him safe.

_Damon,_

_We were kidding ourselves that we could make this work. You and I both know forbidden fruit tastes all that much the sweeter, and that made things hot for a while but this is starting to get dangerous for the both of us. The last thing I want is your psycho ex on my case for having anything to do with you or your brother. I think it's better if we just go our separate ways and forget we ever met each other. Don't try to find me; let's just cut our losses and move on. Good luck, maybe someday you'll find someone who loves you back the way you deserve to be loved._

_Elena_

The page fell from my nerveless hands as I re-read it. It was too awful; I couldn't be so cruel could I? I had actually started to pull out another sheet of paper when I realized what I was doing; I had to get out of there before I lost my nerve.

My shoes were on, purse slung over my shoulder, keys in my hand when I heard his voice behind me.

"Don't do this Elena."

"Don't do what? I'm just going down to get something to drink." I couldn't turn around and look at him, my eyes were all red and puffy from crying, it was all I could do to make my voice sound normal.

"Don't give me that. I thought we were going to run away together?"

"Then you're stupid." I made my voice hard, trying to remember what it had been like when I'd switched off my emotions. Swiping my wet cheeks with the back of my hand, I turned to face him, hardening my heart to the look on his face the best I could without switching off my emotions. "Look at you; you're dead weight to me. A liability. How much longer do you think you can keep this up?"

Damon's jaw twitched at sound of my words. "Don't do this. It might seem like a good idea to switch off your emotions now but it won't last. Sooner or later you'll regret what you gave up, losing what we have."

"What we have?" I forced a bitter laugh. "Don't get me wrong, you're a tiger in the sack, Katherine was right about that. But you're not exactly the always and forever type that a girl settles down with. If I were you I'd worry a little more about myself." I flipped my hair so that it obscured half of my face.

"Elena…" His face creased with pain and I dropped my gaze, I had to get out of there.

"It was fun while it lasted Damon, maybe I'll see you around sometime." I turned to leave but he put on a burst of speed, hand on the door to keep me from opening it.

"I won't let you leave." He growled, "For the last time, get it through your head that we are in this together."

I was weak enough to sag against him for just a moment, stealing that last touch before I shoved him back against the wall. My hand caught hold of his, forcing it away from the door. I never would have been strong enough to do such a thing before; it was a real testament to his weakened state that I was able to force him to his knees. "Get it through your head… there is no us." I bit out at him, my face and voice hard. "It's over."

"I don't believe that. I know you love me Elena, I know that deep down you care." His eyes blazed.

"Think again." I hit him. Hard. Damon went down like a sack of potatoes, and I dragged his body away from the door, laying him out by the couch. "I'm so sorry." I breathed, pressing a last kiss to his lips. As an afterthought I tugged the heavy ring from his finger. It would keep him from following after me and let me get farther away without having to worry about the coming dawn. Without having to think about a witness anymore, I sobbed freely on the way to the elevator, the dam holding back the flood of emotions eroding to non existence. It was late enough that I didn't have to worry about running into anyone on the way to the parking garage and once I got inside Damon's car I completely broke down, crying as I hadn't done since I'd woken in the hospital after my parents' death.

I knew I had to get moving, get out of there before he woke up but I couldn't bring myself to move yet, it was all too raw. The lure of turning off my emotions was strong, but I knew I couldn't allow myself that luxury just yet. Soon I would make that switch and it would get easier to bear but I had to hold tight to that misery for a while longer, until I could get far enough away that Damon wouldn't find me. Only then would it be safe to let him go and save his life.

A tap at the window made me jump and I looked up through the haze of tears, half expecting to find Damon standing there, but it was Isobel looking back at me. Her face was unaffected by my tears, no motherly concern waiting there. I rolled down the window, feeling something akin to shame for my display of emotions in the face of such a calm exterior. "Did you forget something?" I sniffed.

Isobel stared back at me for a long moment, her expression bland and I wondered just what the hell she was thinking. "Good girl, you did the right thing." She said finally as I stared back at her in shock. "Here, I wanted you to have this."

I reached for the small object hidden in her hand, surprised to find a ring there in a similar style to Damon's. "Is this… what I think it is?"

"I had always meant to give it to you someday; I just didn't think it would be so soon." She nodded. "You'll need it to get where you're going."

"Thank you." I murmured, slipping it onto my finger; it was a perfect fit. "Could you… I mean, would you mind giving this back to Damon?" I offered her his ring now that I had my own. "But… give me about a day's head start, okay?"

Her lips twitched into a faint smile. "Yeah, I can do that. In fact, I'll do you one better. I'll take care of Alaric's car. It'll slow him down a little. If I know Damon he'll be after you as soon as he realizes you're gone."

"He already knows I'm leaving. I kinda had to kosh him on the head to get out of there. Will you make sure he's okay?" I hated asking her for anything more, but I had no one else to ask.

"He's a vampire Elena, he'll be fine. Or at least he will be when you let him go."

"I know." I nodded, "Does it get any easier?"

My mother stared back at me, her face unreadable. For a moment I thought she might respond, but then she turned on her heel without uttering another single word and stalked away.

Another wave of misery washed over me, choking me so that I was glad I didn't need to physically breathe, otherwise I might have been paralyzed there with the inability to make myself go any further. As it was, I forced myself to start the car. My car now; Damon's last gift to me. "You can do this." I murmured, meeting my red rimmed eyes in the rear view mirror. As I sped through the darkened streets I couldn't help but wonder over and over again. Would it ever get any easier?

**A/N: Okay, I know that was a downer, and seriously heartbreaking for me to write. But hopefully you guys know me well enough to know that they'll find a way back to each other. But first a trip back to Mystic Falls to pack a few things and say goodbye to her family. Perhaps not the smartest move on her part, but Elena isn't planning on returning for a long, long time. **

**I can start to see the end of this one now, and though there are a few chapters still forthcoming, it will probably wrap up in the next couple of weeks. We still have quite a few things to address though, so don't worry, it's not over yet.**

**Feedback is Love People**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind comforting Damon from Elena's abandonment.**

**I know that last chapter was sad, thanks for having faith in me that I'll bring them back together again. It's funny to think that this fic started as an experiment with such a vague premise to see if I could handle writing in 1****st**** person POV and ended up being such an epic tale in its own right. **

**I'll apologize again here for being slower on the updates, with the holidays, work and trying to get out query letters to agents for **_**Angel of Mercy**_** I've been pretty busy!**

"_He already knows I'm leaving. I kinda had to kosh him on the head to get out of there. Will you make sure he's okay?" I hated asking her for anything more, but I had no one else to ask._

"_He's a vampire Elena, he'll be fine. Or at least he will be when you let him go."_

"_I know." I nodded, "Does it get any easier?"_

_My mother stared back at me, her face unreadable. For a moment I thought she might respond, but then she turned on her heel without uttering another single word and stalked away. _

_Another wave of misery washed over me, choking me so that I was glad I didn't need to physically breathe, otherwise I might have been paralyzed there with the inability to make myself go any further. As it was, I forced myself to start the car. My car now; Damon's last gift to me. "You can do this." I murmured, meeting my red rimmed eyes in the rear view mirror. As I sped through the darkened streets I couldn't help but wonder over and over again. Would it ever get any easier?_

_

* * *

_

I don't remember much about the drive home. The scenery went past me in a blur and I knew I was headed in the right direction, but my body was operating on auto pilot. I do remember that it was after sunrise when I got there, and Isobel's gift seemed to work perfectly. As I stepped into my childhood home, I tried to take that last look; knowing I wouldn't return for a long, long time if ever. There were so many happy memories and so many heartbreaking ones that I would carry with me for an eternity. Still, I took a few mementos; a framed picture of the four of us taken at Christmas when I was six or seven, a refrigerator magnet made out of paper mache I'd made for my mom as a present in the fourth grade, my father's stethoscope; I had listened to the beat of his heart through it countless times as a child. All of these treasures I packed away with a few clothes, planning on traveling light. It was scarcely fifteen minutes later that I zipped up my duffel bag and gave my room a last once-over.

"Hey, you're up early." Jenna's voice caught me off guard, a testament to how rattled I really was.

"Jenna… I'm glad you're awake. We should talk."

"Uh oh, sounds serious. Should I have my morning cup of coffee first?" She tried for a smile. "Are you going somewhere?" Jenna's eyes fell on the packed duffel bag sitting on the foot of the bed.

"There really isn't time, look I have to leave." There was no easy way to say it.

"Going over to Damon's again?" She asked mildly, not keying in to the urgency of the situation as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"No, Jenna, I mean I have to leave town, as in for good." I sat beside her. The look of confusion on her face tugged at my heart. I had never taken the time to fill her in on any of what was going on in my life anymore, wanting to keep her safe. But as I sat there, I found myself telling her the whole tale, from the night I'd crashed my car and Damon had turned me to save my life, to why I had to give up all ties to my friends and family to keep him safe. We were both crying by the time I was finished, though I could detect an edge of hysteria to her tears.

It was too much for her to hear all at once, especially on the morning of my departure when I couldn't answer any of the million questions that were popping up in her mind. "But you can't leave, what about…"

"I'm so sorry, Jenna. I know I should have told you before, but now there's no time."

I cut her off with a single look; it was almost effortless to hold her in my thrall. "I want you to forget about everything we talked about this morning." I began.

"Forget…" she repeated mechanically, her eyes glazed over.

"I know it's selfish of me, but I just wanted you to know on some level what happened to me. But what you'll remember is that I went to go stay with cousin Nicholas in Wichita. I needed to leave everything about Mystic Falls behind me, you don't really know why."

"Leave Mystic Falls behind," she nodded.

"But I'll be just fine, you don't have to worry. Tell Jeremy… tell him that I love him and to be careful."

"Don't have to worry," she smiled sunnily.

"Goodbye Jenna, I love you." I hugged her tightly, dear sweet Jenna who tried so hard to keep our little family together and here I was tearing it apart.

"I love you too sweetie." She smiled, soothed by my words, no concern over my leaving at all in her voice. "I'm gonna go make some coffee now." And with that, she was gone.

I didn't think I had the strength to say goodbye to Jeremy so I took the coward's way out, intending on letting Jenna break the news to him when he woke up. But he surprised me, emerging from the bathroom as soon as Jenna was gone.

"You're bailing." It came out as more of a statement than a question.

"Just for a little while, to visit with cousin Nicholas until things settle down here."

"Don't give me that bullshit Elena, where are you really going?" He demanded, and I saw in his eyes that he'd overheard if not all at least most of my conversation with Jenna.

"You know I can't tell you." I replied, drying my cheeks and rising to my feet. "It's not safe for you to know and besides… I hardly know myself. Just, take care of yourself and Jenna, alright?"

"I'm coming with you."

"Don't be ridiculous Jeremy." I shook my head at the ludicrous thought, shouldering the duffel bag.

"I'm serious. We'll go together, you me and Anna. She can help protect you from this Arnaud and we can both help research a way to break the curse." Jeremy spoke fast, blocking my way.

Oh it was tempting to take him up on it. The truth of the matter was I was scared to death to take off on my own without any idea where I was going or how I was going to break the curse but I couldn't do that to him. "I can't ask you to give up your life here to try and save my lovelife."

"That's not your decision to make." His chin came up in determination.

When had my little brother grown up? There was no sign of the little boy who had stolen my nail polish to give his hotwheels a fresh coat of paint or ratted me out to our parents when he'd caught me sneaking the phone into my bedroom in the middle of the night to gossip with Bonnie and Caroline after I'd ratted _him_ out for hiding all of his peas in the pockets of his hoodie back in elementary school. "Jer…"

"Besides, that's what family is for." His smile came back and I saw the traces of the boy I knew return.

I had a response I could give to dispute that. We weren't related, not by blood, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it in his face. I wanted just one of the relationships I had to be in tact when I left town, just one. "No it is my decision." I replied, easily moving him out of the way. "You know I can make you stay…" There was a plea in my voice, begging him not to make me compel him and he nodded, stepping away from the door completely.

"Don't do this Elena."

The words hung in the air, reminding me of Damon's pleas and twisting the knife lodged in my heart. Swallowing back the lump of emotion, I gave Jeremy a final hug. "I have time to figure this out." Time was just about the only thing on my side at this point. "And I'll be back someday, I promise." I sniffed, the tears beginning to fall again.

"You'd better. And at least email me okay? Let me know you're okay every now and again?"

"Yeah, I can do that." It was a good idea; no one would be able to track me very easily if I contacted him that way. "Goodbye Jeremy, I love you." It was getting harder and harder to say those words with each person that I left.

"Wait, you're leaving now? What about the sun?" He pulled back from the hug.

"I've got it covered. I got a gift from… a friend." I had glossed over Isobel's role in all of it in my tale to Jenna, not wanting to open that can of worms, and now knowing that Jeremy had overheard it, I was glad.

"Be careful out there." Jeremy nodded, "And don't forget about us."

I was starting to think I would never be given that mercy. "No, I'll never forget." I pledged as I walked through the door.

* * *

The unknown stretched before me as I pulled the car away from my home. No, not my home anymore, I was alone in the world by my own design. The idea was freeing in theory but terrifying in practice. I had no idea where I was headed or what I would do. There was a bit of freedom in knowing that I could stay off the grid thanks to my compulsion. I wouldn't need to provide my id to anyone who asked, or worry about trying to get an apartment somewhere being under eighteen, or even get a job if I didn't want to; though the idea of living by stealing from others did not appeal in the slightest.

In the end I decided that the first thing I needed to do was just put some distance between me and Mystic Falls. Go someplace and lick my wounds, try to come up with some kind of game plan once I was able to think again. That meant turning off my emotions, but even with the pain of heartbreak that sat heavy around my heart, I found myself reluctant to give up that last tie to my past. It was the last connection I had to Damon, but it was also the thing that doomed him thanks to the curse.

I drove all day and all the next night, pulling in to a little cheap roadside motel some time after four am. I still have no idea what town that was or the name of the motel, just that it was in east Texas I think. I was beat down tired, but it was still easy to get a room even without using my compulsion, cash still speaks in some parts of the world, I don't think the clerk looked at me twice.

Inside the room, I took a lukewarm shower and changed clothes, feeling somewhat better just in going through the motions of living. As I lay down on the bed, all I could think about was the empty space beside me where Damon should have been. Closing my eyes I could imagine the feel of his weight next to me, the ever present smirk of his lips as he teased me about nothing in particular, and the hunger in his eyes whenever I touched him.

Opening my eyes, they lit upon my cell phone which I had turned off at the beginning of my drive. Switching it back on, the display read that I had 112 unheard voicemails. Whether it was weakness or a masochistic tendency, I forced myself to listen to each and every one of them, Damon's voice growing more desperate with each message until a note of resignation began to creep into his tone.

A wave of misery swept over me so thick I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even cry. Every fiber of my being cried out for me to call him and tell him that I loved him, that I was sorry for having put him through all of it and that I was coming home. But that would have just made all of his suffering for nothing.

Instead I called Lexi, trusting that she would be the best person for me to check in with who could still feel emotion and hopefully take pity on me and give me some scrap of news as to how Damon was really taking my betrayal.

She picked up right away and I knew she was alone because no one snatched the phone away from her. "Elena? Where are you, are you okay?"

"You know I can't tell you that. How is he?"

"Stefan's been acting really weird ever since you left; distracted I guess I would call it. I think… I think he's going to try and find Katherine on his own."

I bit back a reply that I could care less what Stefan was going through, it was Damon that I was going nuts with worry over. But Stefan had been her friend for far longer and I could hear the concern in her voice. "You can hardly blame him for wanting to find her; it sounds like they have a lot of unresolved issues between them." I said carefully, not sure what Stefan had told her about Isobel's message.

"I know but… what if she sees him again and…" Lexi left off and I understood what she was so afraid of.

"You're afraid that if Katherine loves him again he'll be affected by the curse."

"It could kill him Elena; I don't have to tell you that." There was real fear behind her voice.

"You love him, don't you?" I asked, with sudden insight into their friendship.

"Well of course I do, we've been friends for over a century…"

"No, I mean, you really love him, don't you?" I didn't know how I hadn't seen it before. She'd been nothing but nice to me, and it must have killed her to know that Stefan had feelings for me. No wonder she'd been so supportive when I fell in love with Damon!

"I do." Lexi admitted softly as though she was afraid to say it out loud. "God Elena I do, I've loved him for years! Even though he's never felt the same about me I always hoped that someday… things might change for us. We have eternity right?" She gave a broken laugh and my heart went out to her.

"It could still happen for you." I replied supportively. "From everything I hear about Katherine, he might not even like her even if he does find her."

"But the curse doesn't care if he loves her; it's all about whether or not she loves him." She pointed out.

That was true. "It's been a long time. What are the odds that she still loves him and hasn't moved on?"

"I still do."

It was hard to argue with that logic. I couldn't imagine a day would come when I would stop loving Damon. "Well then if she loves him, she'll want to keep protecting him right? As long as she keeps her emotions switched off he's safe. Which… is what I have to do."

"Oh Elena, I'm so sorry. Here I am going on about Stefan… you must be going crazy over Damon, right?"

"How is he?" The question came out sounding horribly forlorn and lonely to my ears.

"He's…" I could hear the hesitation in her voice. "…we brought him home. He's very angry right now."

"That's good. Better that he hates me than comes after me."

"He doesn't hate you; he's just hurting right now." There was something else she wasn't telling me, I could hear it almost as plainly as what she did say.

"What else, Lexi? How is he physically?"

There was a longer hesitation this time. "He's weak, even for a human. When we got home and he discovered that you'd left town, he punched a hole in the wall at your place. He… broke all the bones in his hand."

God, it was worse than I'd thought… I couldn't wait any longer, I had to make the switch and release him from the curse. "I have to go now."

"Elena wait… let us help you."

"Lexi, you understand why I'm doing this, right?" Even if Damon didn't, I needed to know that one other person did besides Isobel.

"I would do the same thing in your position." Lexi replied gravely.

In that moment I loved her with the deepest level of friendship possible. "Thank you." I said simply, hanging up and switching my phone back off.

At first I wasn't sure if I would know how to do it; the last time my emotions had switched off I hadn't even known it was happening at the time. But it was surprisingly easy. One moment I was lying there full of doubts and heartache, and the next it was all fading away like smoke on the wind. All that remained was a dull ache that wasn't hard to deal with at all. When I thought back on Mystic Falls and what I'd left behind it seemed easy enough to let it go and think about the future. Damon would get over me and move on, they all would. Life was about change, and I would make it work for me instead of against me for once.

With a sigh of relief, I snuggled under the covers, ready to rest up before the next chapter of my life began. Fatigue claimed me the instant my eyes slid shut. Now… I was able to sleep.

* * *

*** six months passed ***

I settled into my new life, changing my name, my age, my whole identity. Eventually I had stopped running when I reached New Mexico. I suppose California had been my unconscious goal, but the farther away I got from Mystic Falls, the less urgent the need to run had been. There had also been less urgency in the idea of finding Arnaud or Katherine or anything having to do with the curse. I wrote to Jeremy every few weeks, giving an update of my life with as few details as possible. I even traded emails with Lexi who had followed Stefan to New York and then Chicago in an attempt to find Katherine. So far they hadn't picked up her trail and she was hoping it stayed that way.

Damon stopped emailing me after a few weeks and I stopped looking for them every time I opened my inbox. There was still something there, an ache that I had assumed was fatigue at first but never quite went away whenever I thought about Damon, so I just trained myself not to think about him. I was drifting through life, without forging any new connections or friendships and it suited me just fine.

Until one day I looked up on the street and Damon was there. And he looked _furious_.

**A/N: I was going to save Damon's appearance until the next chapter and talk about the time she spent away a bit more, but in the end I decided it wasn't important. Getting these two in the same place to hash things out is. **

**What did you guys think about the last episode? I admit, I was pretty disappointed that they didn't explore much of Damon caring for Elena while Stefan was in the tomb, and that Stefan got out so quickly, I think they wasted an opportunity there. And now we're what… six weeks away from the next episode? Good lord, how will we survive?**

**On a totally unrelated note, do you guys watch Nikita that comes on right afterwards? That show has really started to grow on me. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind comforting Damon from Elena's abandonment.**

**I know it's out of order, but this one was begging to be updated next. So Damon's back! And he's definitely got a thing or two to say about Elena flipping her switch alright! **

_*** six months passed ***_

_I settled into my new life, changing my name, my age, my whole identity. Eventually I had stopped running when I reached New Mexico. I suppose California had been my unconscious goal, but the farther away I got from Mystic Falls, the less urgent the need to run had been. There had also been less urgency in the idea of finding Arnaud or Katherine or anything having to do with the curse. I wrote to Jeremy every few weeks, giving an update of my life with as few details as possible. I even traded emails with Lexi who had followed Stefan to New York and then Chicago in an attempt to find Katherine. So far they hadn't picked up her trail and she was hoping it stayed that way._

_Damon stopped emailing me after a few weeks and I stopped looking for them every time I opened my inbox. There was still something there, an ache that I had assumed was fatigue at first but never quite went away whenever I thought about Damon, so I just trained myself not to think about him. I was drifting through life, without forging any new connections or friendships and it suited me just fine. _

_Until one day I looked up on the street and Damon was there. And he looked furious._

There wasn't much I was feeling those days, but I admit, the first thing that went through me at seeing his face was panic. I turned to run but he was faster, and apparently not giving a damn about being seen moving at super speeds in broad daylight, he blocked my path.

"Elena." His voice was low and deadly and I had to wonder… had I hurt him so much that he wanted to kill me now?

"You must have me confused with someone else." I murmured lamely, it was all I could come up with, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Don't play with me."

"But I like games." I found myself replying, a flutter of something going through my belly at being so close to him, but I couldn't identify what that might be. Anticipation? Things always did get interesting whenever Damon was around. "Did you come to play?" It could be fun; he was very good at games as I recalled, though something told me he wasn't much in a playful mood.

Damon didn't reply right away, instead he just grabbed hold of my arm, yanking me towards my apartment. Hard. "We need to talk." He muttered finally.

I winced as his fingers dug into my flesh. "You're hurting me."

"Good." Was the only reply I got out of him until we'd crossed the street.

An attempt to shrug him off got me nowhere, if anything he just held on that much tighter. "Where do you think I'm gonna go?"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until I say a few things to you."

So he wanted to chew me out. I could handle that; I guess I owed it to him, I could see how upset he still was about it. Maybe it would be good to let him get it off his chest and then he could move on and forget about me? Still, I didn't look too happy as we entered the courtyard of my apartment building.

"Is everything alright Miss Wilder?" My next door neighbor Rick asked as I dug for my keys in the bottom of my purse.

"Fuck off." Damon growled, barely looking at him.

"Hey, I have to live here." I chastised him irritably.

"I'm sorry, fuck off please." Damon smirked, turning to send a burst of compulsion in Rick's direction, ensuring that he'd leave us alone.

With a roll of the eyes I got the door open, Damon hot on my heels. "So? How did you find me?" I asked, curious.

Damon finally let go of me with a little shove across the threshold. "I'm a goddamn vampire, that's how. I will always find you. Remember that."

My eyes narrowed at the rough handling. Maybe he had a right to be angry, but he didn't have a right to shove me around. But I held my tongue, eager to get this over with. "Okay, so what do you want to talk about?"

"That's all you have to say to me." He stared at me, his eyes stormy with emotion.

"What do you want me to say? It's over Damon, I've moved on."

"I know that's not true, I know you've snapped off your emotions…"

"And I like it this way." I interrupted him. "I mean sure, if you want a little romp in the sheets for old times sake, I wouldn't say no, but I'm not coming back with you. I'm not that person anymore." I kept my words light, though I couldn't remember the crushing agony of leaving him; I remembered well enough the reasons behind it. This would only work if I could keep that sense of detachment.

"I know you love me." Damon insisted stubbornly.

"Is that why you're standing here so healthy and strong? Cause I didn't find a way to break that curse. So how else do you explain your recovery if I was still crying into my pillow over you every night?"

"I'll show you healthy and strong." In a flash he had me pinned up against the wall, his hard body pressed along the length of me. "I know you still want me just as much as I want you." His breath mingled with mine, fingers ghosting along my skin.

Though my heart remained frozen, my body remembered him well enough, hips cuddling the arousal that pressed against me. I slid my hands up his chest, enjoying the play of muscles beneath my fingers. "I do miss this, I have to admit." I breathed, taking in that scent that was purely his alone.

His mouth brushed against my jawline, and I found my lips turning towards his but he pulled away without quite making contact. "Tell me that you want me." He murmured.

"Alright, I want you." I replied, and it was true. Maybe we could make this work? As long as I kept my emotions at bay we could still be together after a fashion. We'd done it before until he'd seen fit to try and restore my emotions. I had no intention of letting that happen again. My reward was a searing kiss and I felt another surge of something inside me but I quickly starved it of any attention, focusing instead on the feel of his body against mine.

"Tell me that you love me." Damon murmured against my lips.

"Shhh, you talk too much." I silenced his lips with mine, and there were no more words between us as I walked him backwards towards the bedroom. I wasn't ready to hear any talk of love, but want… there was a whole world of wanting that sprang up within me at his touch. Damon seemed content to settle for that as we fell back against the bed, at least I thought he was. But as we started pulling off clothes, he began to murmur tender words of love. Everywhere he placed a kiss, Damon whispered an endearment, telling me how much he missed me, how much he loved me. I turned my head away, not wanting to hear it but he just took the opportunity to move closer to my ear.

"I love you Elena." He breathed.

"No, stop it…" I shoved at his shoulder but he was immovable. "I don't want to hear any more."

"I will always love you, and I know you love me." Damon insisted.

"No I don't, I told you…"

"What, the letter? Yeah I got your letter." His face darkened as he pulled out the note written on hotel stationary. The paper was well worn and creased as though it had been read and re-read countless times. "Read it." He threw it down at me.

"I don't need to read it, I wrote it." Even then I didn't want to re-read the hateful things I'd said to him.

"Just read it." He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I was reminded of one of our very first real conversations, not long after I'd been turned. Did vampires get migraines? I knew now that they did not. Unfolding the letter, my brows drew together as I realized that this was not the letter that I'd left for him; it was the first one I'd written and crumpled up to throw away. Oh god, how could I be so stupid? He'd surprised me that night but still… I could have sworn I'd gotten rid of that damned note.

"This isn't what it sounds like." I hedged.

"I think it's exactly what it sounds like. You love me so much you were willing to carve my heart out and stomp on it. You love me so much you were willing to give up your family, your friends, everything that makes life worth living to save me from that stupid curse. And you still love me deep down inside or you wouldn't have tried to instinctively run as soon as you saw me. You wouldn't tremble like that when I touch you." He pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder.

Panic welled deep inside me as I felt something give way. "Don't do this, Damon. Don't make it all for nothing."

"Love isn't nothing, it's everything. You're not saving me Elena; you're killing me by taking away your love. Each day I die a little more inside."

"Don't…" Tears sprang to my eyes and I squinched them shut. "I'm sorry." Slipped out before I knew what I was saying.

"What are you sorry for, Elena?" His voice was gentle, soothing.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you but it has to be this way I can't… I don't want to love you."

"But you do…"

The little smile was what got me. Just that little familiar twist of his lips and my heart turned over. Just like that it all came crashing back, all of the pain of loss and all of the love. "God, what did you do?" I cried, tears flowing freely now but then he was kissing me and I was kissing him back, clinging to him as though my life depended on it. We came together with fevered urgency, as though we might die if we couldn't touch each other fast enough. It was my turn to whisper the endearments against his skin as we moved together, words of regret but mostly of love and longing. It was almost like we'd never been apart, every touch, every kiss, every stroke brought us closer until we found that sweet bliss together and fell back against the soft pillows in a tangle of limbs, neither of us wanting to let go for an instant.

"I'm sorry." I offered after the haze of pleasure began to fade into a pleasant afterglow. "I didn't want you to suffer."

Damon pressed a kiss to my hair, his arm tightening around me slightly. "Yeah well, you're an idiot. You didn't think your leaving would make me suffer?"

"I was being selfish I guess, wanting to keep you alive." I chuckled, pushing away the fears and doubts for a while, just wanting to enjoy the reunion.

"Whatever happens, we'll figure it out together." His eyes slipped closed.

"I know we will." I looked down at him, a touch of worry returning as I watched him start to drift off. "When's the last time you fed?"

"I had some cheetos in Albuquerque."

"No seriously?"

"We'll hunt together tonight, just like old times." A smile spread over his lips at the memory.

I laid a kiss against that smile with one of my own. "Why don't I get you a little something to tide you over until then?" I'd taken a lesson from Lexi and befriended a local phlebotomist so that I always had a stash of blood in the fridge. Since having to learn how to hunt on my own, I never wanted to wait until I was _too_ hungry; the danger of losing control was too great without anyone to watch my back.

"No, stay here with me." Damon's arms tightened around me, but I was able to pull away with surprising ease.

"I'll be right back, I promise." Rising from the bed I slipped on his shirt, instantly enveloped in his scent. "I love you." I couldn't say it enough now, not after depriving him of my love for so long.

"Love you too." His words were already tinged with drowsiness, but he managed a wink.

Padding barefoot into the kitchen, I found myself smiling over Damon's stubborn streak and how he'd come after me. When Damon was better rested I would have to ask him how he'd really been able to track me down. Maybe we'd stay in Arizona for a while? There was no reason to go back to Mystic Falls right away, in fact, maybe we could travel, see a bit of the world?

Lost in speculation, I didn't notice him in the room right away. Instead I was wholly focused on these pleasant thoughts of my future with Damon as I stood before the fridge looking for his favorite blood type.

"At last, I've found you."

"You didn't have to look far; I just came into the kitchen." I snorted. Turning around with blood packet in hand; I froze as I spotted the unfamiliar man in my kitchen. He wasn't particularly tall or dark or handsome, he looked like an average man you would pass by on the street without a second look, but he was staring at me intently. "Who are you?"

"You look just as beautiful as the night we first met, do you remember that night? You wore jasmine in your hair. I called you my night blooming blossom."

"I don't know what you're talking about; I think you have me confused with someone else." One of Katherine's exes maybe?

"I would know you anywhere my Blossom." He smiled, taking a step towards me and I instinctively retreated.

"I'm not Katherine if that's who you're looking for. I know I look a lot like her but trust me, we're not the same person."

"I knew if I waited long enough my patience would be rewarded and here you are… we can be together once more."

There was a light in his eyes that I didn't like and it dawned on me who this was. "Arnaud?" I gasped.

"Yes my love." He smiled and it sent a shiver down my spine, he was completely loony tunes.

"Look I told you, I'm not her, okay? My name is Elena Gilbert and I've never met you before, but… I was hoping to run into you because this curse you put on Katherine…"

"Don't lie to me!" His hand shot out to backhand me so fast I didn't even have a chance to duck and I went down on the ground hard, shaking my head to clear it after it cracked against the tile floor.

My first instinct was to call to Damon, but would he be able to help me against this vampire older than both of us put together? Better to bide my time and wait for an opening. "I'm not lying, I'm really not her. But maybe I can help you find her." I tried in as soothing a tone as I could manage. My temple was bleeding where I'd cracked my head, but I knew it would heal soon.

"Shhh now, no more of this nonsense Katherine. We must go." He crouched down beside me.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I started to scramble backwards, but he caught hold of the back of my head, fingers digging into my hair.

"You'll love me again. I can make you love me." His tongue snaked across my cheek, lapping up the spilt blood there.

That's when I saw the needle. "What is that?" My eyes widened as I tried to back away from the hypodermic but his grip was unshakable.

"Shhh, I would never hurt you, I love you." He smiled, brushing the tip of the needle down the side of my neck before jamming it in deep.

I screamed then, Damon's name I think, but my memories of it are a little blurry around the edges. All I knew was the effects were almost instantaneous and scarcely had the scream left my lips when darkness claimed me.

**A/N: Just a little more trouble before we get to our happy ending, but it'll come, I promise. **

**It's been rough writing three fics at once, so I probably won't pick up a new one when this one is wrapped up until I'm done with Tabula Rasa. But to gauge interest, what would you guys like to see next? A) sequel to Road Trip B) another amnesia fic (either Damon or Elena, though I think I might be leaning more towards Damon losing his memories) C) Nikita fic D) Firefly fic E) secret option number five…**

**Feedback is Love People**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind kidnapping Damon.**

**Okay, going out of order here again to post this one next, sorry Truebies, I'm getting close to this one being done and it really wants to get written!**

**By the way M.F. E.O. means Made For Each Other.**

"_Shhh now, no more of this nonsense Katherine. We must go." He crouched down beside me. _

"_I'm not going anywhere with you." I started to scramble backwards, but he caught hold of the back of my head, fingers digging into my hair. _

"_You'll love me again. I can make you love me." His tongue snaked across my cheek, lapping up the spilt blood there._

_That's when I saw the needle. "What is that?" My eyes widened as I tried to back away from the hypodermic but his grip was unshakable. _

"_Shhh, I would never hurt you, I love you." He smiled, brushing the tip of the needle down the side of my neck before jamming it in deep. _

_I screamed then, Damon's name I think, but my memories of it are a little blurry around the edges. All I knew was the effects were almost instantaneous and scarcely had the scream left my lips when darkness claimed me. _

_

* * *

_

In and out of consciousness I drifted, my mind spinning its own reality in my drug induced slumber. Dimly aware at times that I was lying on a couch that was not my own, I preferred to believe myself in more pleasant circumstances, asleep on the plush couch at the boarding house. That it would be unusual for me to be there didn't occur to me, my mind spinning a cocoon of false comfort, I only felt safe and so very, very sleepy.

The scene in the kitchen felt like a bad dream, too scary to acknowledge; it was easier to call those the dream and the dream the reality. Arnaud couldn't really have found me, couldn't really have hit me; couldn't have drugged me. None of it was real; and safe in that assumption, I waited for Damon to return to me, a smile gracing my lips in anticipation as I heard him moving around in the kitchen.

The smell of blueberries wafted to me, was Damon making me pancakes?

"Hello Blossom," I felt him sit beside me, gently stroking my hair. "Are you awake yet? I remembered you like a spot of tea in the morning. And I made those scones you like. Try them and tell me what you think."

So sleepy. The drugs left my mind clouded and pliable. Believing what I wanted to, I reached up to capture Damon's hand, pressing a small kiss to his palm without opening my eyes. "Not hungry... sleepy." I murmured, nuzzling his hand.

"It's alright darling. I know that was frightening for you, but it's alright now. I'll leave the food here for you, when you're ready. I've even brought extra jam and butter, if you like." Brushing my hair back, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Don't you worry about a thing. I'm going to take care of everything."

The words were soft and comforting, and more than food what I wanted was to feel his arms around me. "Missed you." Leaning up, I kissed his neck, lips brushing light over his pulse.

"Missed you, Blossom." With a turn of his chin, he kissed me full on the mouth, taking what I offered.

Loving the feel of his arms around me, I kissed him back, lips parting to taste him as he deepened the kiss. His kiss seemed different somehow, not more urgent exactly, just... different, but I didn't question it.

"I love you Katherine," he whispered when we parted, "I always have."

Katherine. Through the fog I realized dimly that his voice sounded strange, and I felt strange, floating. Blinking at the bright light as I opened my eyes, I turned my head, expecting to see Damon holding me so closely. "Arnaud?" I gasped in shock, pushing weakly at his shoulders. "What are you doing?" God had I just been kissing him?

My head swam at the movement and I fought to remain conscious, the adrenaline now coursing through my veins helping to shake off the worst of the exhaustion but still leaving me plagued with confusion as I tried to reconcile what I'd thought was happening with what actually was.

"Proving my love for you, even after all that's happened between us." He pulled me close for another kiss. "Shhh, it's okay my love. We've wronged each other so much but we can make it right again." His hand began to shimmy down my shirt, towards my bare legs.

Utterly revolted by the concept, I pushed harder, scooting away from him as best I could. "Stop it, I didn't know it was you, I thought you were... let go of me!"

Arnaud paused but only for a second before reaching deeper. "You love me Katherine. And I love you. Don't fight what's only natural."

"Natural? There's nothing natural about this, I don't love you, I don't even know you!" Fingernails dug into his wandering hands, desperate to make him stop.

Trapping me with his body, he brushed my hair back, pinning me in place. "He turned you against me. Let it go, because he's dead and you're mine now."

"He's not dead..." I scoffed, not believing it for a moment. Damon couldn't be dead, I would feel it. Though anything could have happened while I was unconscious, especially with Damon in his weakened state again. "Even if he was gone, I still wouldn't be yours, I don't want you. I'm not brainwashed, I love him, don't you get it?"

"No, _you _don't get it. This isn't a choice anymore Katherine, it's fate. And we can't fight fate."

Nothing I was saying was getting through to him and my mind scrambled for a way out of it. "Arnaud," I tried again, softening my voice, trying to keep the panic at bay. "Let's talk about this, ok? Won't you let me up, this is all just happening so fast I can hardly think."

"I've felt this way for years Katherine… this isn't fast."

"It's fast for me. I mean you just show up out of the blue." I muttered, closing my eyes for a moment, trying not to flinch as he covered my hand with his. "This is just such so much to take in..." Opening my eyes again, I noticed our surroundings for the first time. "Where are we?"

"Someplace very safe."

Safe. Did that mean remote? God where the hell was I? The only thing I could take solace in was the fact that clearly he was more concerned with getting me alone and Damon was likely far away, probably worried sick about me, but safe nonetheless. Which meant it was up to me to make this guy see reason and let me go. Somehow. He just needed to relax, give me some time to figure things out... I struggled to flip that switch that would let me divorce myself from my emotions. It would make Damon stronger and leave my growing fear behind, but I couldn't manage to do it, I was too rattled.

Searching for something else to say, my eyes lit on the food he'd prepared on the coffee table. "You cooked for me?" I also spied a cell phone sitting on the other end of the table and immediately my mind started churning, if I could just send Damon a warning…

"Yes. I made you your favorite scones and earl grey tea. Remember?"

So Katherine had liked baked goods. A random fact I filed away for later. "Yeah I remember." I smiled in acknowledgement. "Are the scones gonna be edible though? How long has it been since you last cooked?" He seemed to be relaxing a little; I was on the right track. If I could just get the phone and then maybe slip off to the bathroom...

"You used to like my scones." He looked affronted.

"I don't recall you ever preparing anything that didn't require summoning a servant." I dared to tease. If he wanted Katherine I would be Katherine until I had a chance to make my move.

"Just try them Blossom." Arnaud replied, ever watchful.

"Kinda hard to eat with you on top of me." I gave him a pointed look.

"Depends on what you're hungry for." His eyes flashed.

I gave an uncomfortable laugh, God I had to get out from under him! "I don't like cold tea." I allowed for a petulant note to creep into my voice. "Would you make me some new tea? Pretty please?" I gave him my most winsome smile.

Arnaud frowned. "Do you really despise me that much?"

"Why because I don't want cold tea?" I frowned back. Oh God what had set him off now?

"You're good, but not that good." His voice turned cold.

Shit. "Arnaud, I don't despise you." Raising my hand, I forced myself to touch his cheek softly. "You have to understand, you've had years to come to terms with your feelings, you can't just expect me to jump right into something with you. Maybe in time..." I swallowed.

"Maybe in time what? How much time are we talking Katherine?"

"I-I don't know, God I can't think straight." I pushed the hair away from my face in frustration. "Could you please just let me up? I feel so out of it." The last part wasn't a lie as a wave of dizziness struck me. What the hell had he given me?

"Not until you kiss me."

"Kiss you?" It was hard to keep the panic from my voice. "I don't feel well, I think I'm gonna be sick seriously, please let me up."

"Kiss me!"

"Arnaud please, you can't force this! Let me up!" My frustration mounting, the need to get out from under him grew stronger.

"I knew it." He pushed me back down on the couch as he stood up, "I just knew it. If I was that bastard you think you're in love with, you wouldn't hesitate at all." Crossing the room, he went to the drawer with purpose. "But no. No! I'm the one who's been searching for you all these years, and can you even try to see how much I honestly love you or care for you? Not a chance." Eyes narrowed, he turned and looked at me, "Worth trying to lie to me but not even a fake kiss."

As soon as his back was to me I reached up and grabbed the cellphone, slipping it into my pocket. "Do you seriously want a fake kiss? How can you say you love me but expect me to just jump right into it with you after everything that's happened? Can't you give me some time to sort this out?" I tried again.

He slowly crossed the room, "Sort what out? Are you going to sort out your fake love for that bastard? You're happy to bed him whenever he crooks his finger at you."

I bristled at the dig against Damon but held my tongue, knowing nothing I said in Damon's defense would matter to him. "You've already taken care of him, haven't you? You said it yourself, he's dead. If not now then soon by the curse. That was very clever of you by the way, how did you manage it? Are you a witch too?" Maybe if I could get him to talk about the curse I could figure out how to break it?

His hand went to a mottled green stone hanging around his neck by a leather thong. "Gypsy bloodstone curse." His lips curved into a smile.

"Is that how you've been able to walk around in the daylight too? Gypsy magic?"

"Useful things those witches, and very accommodating once given the right… motivation."

His smile was starting to make me sick to my stomach, as I could imagine all sorts of unpleasant things that he might find for motivation. "I can imagine…" I murmured, turning my head away. "Is that how you found me?"

Now his face darkened and I was instantly sorry I'd asked that one. "I followed that Salvatore brother. Once I'd heard you had taken up with him again it was just a matter of time before he led me to you."

My stupid plan, that's what had drawn him out. If I'd never pretended to be Katherine he never would have come after me. But then again I never would have the opportunity to do something about the curse. Forcing a smile to my face, I reached out to lay a hand over his. "It's been such a long time, it hardly seems real that you're here. But now that we're together, you can lift the curse can't you?"

His eyes instantly narrowed with suspicion. "Do you take me for a complete fool? Don't think I don't know what you're about." Leaning closer, he asked, "What does your instinct tell you Katherine? Why would I spare your lover? Especially after I was forced to hear your little reunion. Or was that just another pretty performance? What's real?"

Oh god, he'd heard that? My instincts were screaming at me to get away from him as he drew closer, and I darted a look towards the door. Could I make it there or would he catch me? And where would I go? I had no idea where we were. "I hardly know anymore, I'm so confused. What did you do to me? My mind is spinning."

"It's what you did to me," He loomed over me, "What you did to yourself and to us Katherine. Now tell me what you think is real."

My hand rose to my temple, "No I mean what did you give me, I can't think straight. This all feels like a bad dream." I backed up as far as I could onto the couch, the way he was looking at me made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"I know what you asked. You need to answer my question first and then I'll happily reciprocate."

"What's real?" Looking up at the way he was staring at me, I decided he wasn't in the mood for a bullshit answer, and he clearly didn't seem to be buying my attempts to placate him. "What's real is that you've blown a mental gasket. Take a look in the mirror, drugging me and kidnapping me? What kind of love is that?"

"Kinder than what you've shown me. Giving your love to someone who is utterly unworthy of you. How could you?"

I stared back at him, _in for a penny in for a pound_... "Oh for chrissakes… for the last time, get it through your thick skull that I am not Katherine. Yes, of course I love Damon, and he loves me. You can't make someone love you with the wave of your hand. You can drug me and kidnap me, you can hit me, but it's not going to show me that he's any less deserving of my love, it just shows me how delusional you are."

"Then allow me to answer your question." He held up the syringe and squirted a tiny stream of pink liquid. "See this? This is love potion number nine. A nifty little concoction of mine combining a powerful drug to keep you pliable, along with a dose of vervain to help keep it in your system long enough to take effect. This is my saving grace against his hold on you."

"Love potion?" My eyes darted nervously to the syringe in his hand. "So you're going to drug me into loving you? Is that what you think?" I scoffed, my stomach turning at the notion that he might... force himself on me, and that I might actually allow it while under the influence. He wouldn't do that, would he?

"Tell me you love me, Blossom," and without further warning Arnaud gripped my neck painfully.

"No, stop... "One arm trapped between us, I tried to stop him with the other one. "This isn't love, this is insane!" God he was freakishly strong…

"Shhhh..." he twisted and turned my neck, "Just relax..."

Fighting back desperately, my hand caught his and nails sank deep into the flesh. "Please, please don't do this..." Terrified of what might happen should he inject me, I strained against him, muscles burning but despite his slight form, he was like a wall of solid muscle above me.

Given the fact that I was already partly drugged and he was a few centuries older than I was, it didn't take much for him to wrench my neck aside and plunge the syringe in. "Shhhh, don't fight it." He whispered into my ear, lips brushing against my skin. "It'll all be over soon." The drugs rushed into my system with a burn and I felt his hand stroking my hair as he planted kisses around the spot where the medicine went in.

The fight went out of me in seconds as the new wave of drugs pushed me under once more. Dimly I could hear Arnaud's words and feel his hands and lips on my body, but it was almost as if it was happening to someone else. Hands falling limp to my sides, I retreated inside myself where he couldn't touch me.

"Get away from her you bastard!" Damon's voice reached into the void and I pushed against the darkness.

"Damon..." The word fell nearly soundless from my lips as I struggled to open my eyes.

**A/N: Damon to the rescue!**

**So it looks like so far there's a tie between a sequel to Road Trip and the Amnesia Fic and then a surprising amount of interest for Secret Option number 5. **

**Okay to be fair I'll tell you what secret option number five is. It's an idea I had for a completely AU vampire diaries story. The story would center around Damon meeting Elena under very different circumstances. The premise is this: Damon and Katherine have been together for the past hundred and fifty years. While they started out hot and heavy in the beginning, they've stuck together now more out of convenience than anything else, traveling around the world. They go back to Mystic Falls to visit his old homestead and Damon meets Elena. At first he's just intrigued because she reminds him of Katherine, but eventually he comes to know her for who she is. At first Katherine doesn't mind him taking up with her since they have a history of picking up victims and toying with them for a while before they grow tired of them, but eventually it'll start to bother her as Damon and Elena grow closer. No Stefan in this one at least at first as the triangle will be between Katherine, Damon and Elena. This would be a more dangerous Damon, not the sensitive type as he's been glorying in feeding and killing with Katherine for so long. **

**So tell me, what do you guys think? Road Trip sequel? Amnesia fic? Or not so secret option five?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind Damon rescuing me.**

**Just a little mini-chapter here, didn't want you to have to wait until after the holidays for this particular scene to be wrapped up. **

**I'm glad you liked how creepy Arnaud came out, that was a lot of fun to write. **

"_Shhhh..." he twisted and turned my neck, "Just relax..."_

_Fighting back desperately, my hand caught his and nails sank deep into the flesh. "Please, please don't do this..." Terrified of what might happen should he inject me, I strained against him, muscles burning but despite his slight form, he was like a wall of solid muscle above me._

_Given the fact that I was already partly drugged and he was a few centuries older than I was, it didn't take much for him to wrench my neck aside and plunge the syringe in. "Shhhh, don't fight it." He whispered into my ear, lips brushing against my skin. "It'll all be over soon." The drugs rushed into my system with a burn and I felt his hand stroking my hair as he planted kisses around the spot where the medicine went in. _

_The fight went out of me in seconds as the new wave of drugs pushed me under once more. Dimly I could hear Arnaud's words and feel his hands and lips on my body, but it was almost as if it was happening to someone else. Hands falling limp to my sides, I retreated inside myself where he couldn't touch me._

"_Get away from her you bastard!" Damon's voice reached into the void and I pushed against the darkness. _

"_Damon..." The word fell nearly soundless from my lips as I struggled to open my eyes. _

Even if I had been able to see much of the fight, I could tell from the sounds that it would have been hard to track visually. Wherever we were, it was getting trashed as bodies slammed into walls, furniture, windows; everything seemed to be fair game.

Desperately I tried to will my body to respond, if not to help at least to see how the fight was faring. My eyes fluttered open, and I watched them grappling together; Damon's face dark with rage and Arnaud's curiously detached as though he was hardly troubled by Damon's attack. With a sinking heart, I realized that even if Damon had been at full strength, he was unlikely to be a match for a vampire at least as old as Katherine; even if he was one fry short of a happy meal.

Arnaud shoved Damon back, to crash against the coffee table which shattered with the impact, spraying the ground with shards of broken glass. "Foolish boy. Did you think you would be a match for me? You're weak as a newborn babe." Pressing his advantage, he lunged for Damon's throat.

"Maybe, but I'm still smarter than you are." Damon smirked, producing a sharpened stake from some kind of spring loaded contraption at his wrist. Plunging it into the older vampire's body, his eyes blazed with triumph.

Falling back with a surprised cry of pain, Arnaud's face showed true emotion now, ranging from anguish to anger and then a curiously incongruous smile crept over his lips. "If only your aim were as true as your ego would have it be." He wheezed, pulling the thin wooden shaft from his punctured lung and tossing it negligently aside.

Damon's face fell as he realized his stake hadn't met its mark, and I came to understand that he had run out of tricks. It was up to me to intervene or I might watch my beloved die before my eyes. With great effort, I pushed myself up to a seated position; fingers closing around the wooden projectile that Arnaud had so carelessly tossed aside.

Arnaud's hand closed around Damon's throat again, fingers digging deep into the tender flesh there. "You will never get the chance to soil my sweet Katherine again."

"Wait…" I interjected, forcing the note of panic from my voice and keeping my eyes trained on Arnaud's face. "Wait… Arnaud… my love." The words stuck in my throat, but I managed to get them out; I was starting to become quite a good actress. Slipping off the couch to my knees, mindless of the broken glass, I laid a hand on his arm. "I want him to see that there's only one man for me." I couldn't look at Damon or I never would have been able to keep my expression.

His face shifted to mine, a light of hope and insane triumph coming into his eyes. "I told you I could make you love me." Arnaud crowed happily.

"Yes, you were right about everything. About me, you…" Gratified to see his attention wholly focused on me, I moved forward, my hand sliding along his arm. "I should have listened to you before."

"Elena…" Damon choked out, and I could have joyfully wrung his neck in that instant myself. I was so close!

"It's Katherine." I hissed at him, shooting him a warning look.

"Yes my Katherine, my love. I have waited so long…" Arnaud let go of Damon, his face covered with rapturous joy.

"Forgive me, I should have done this a long time ago." Leaning close, I placed a Judas kiss to his lips, and brought the stake up with as much force as I could manage, driving it into his chest. Arnaud fell back with a cry of surprise mingled with pain as the wood pierced his heart. "Like I said, there's only one man for me, and it's not you. It's never been you." I let the spite return to my voice again, wanting him to suffer for all the pain he'd caused over the years. For Katherine, Isobel and myself, I twisted the knife with as much venom as I could muster. "You're a sad, pathetic excuse for a man, and you disgust me. I never would have willingly chosen you. Never."

His eyes were already growing cloudy and opaque, unseeing as his body tensed into the rigor of death. Turning my back on him, I more or less fell by Damon's side, still too weak to do much more than lie there. "Are you alright?" I murmured, trying to focus, but my vision was starting to swim again.

Damon was instantly hovering over me, and I could feel his fingers on my face, brushing over my body, as if he was checking me for injuries. "I should be asking you that. What did he do to you?"

"Some kind of drugs, he called it a love potion. I don't know what's in it but I'm…" My words were cut off as he crushed me to his chest in a tight hug.

"I thought I'd lost you." He groaned, his voice full of anguish.

"You thought I ran away again?" My heart wrenched for the pain that must have cost him.

"No, I heard you scream, but by the time I got to the kitchen you were gone. Your blood was on the floor… I was going insane trying to figure out what happened to you." Damon pulled back to look into my eyes.

"How did you find me?"

"I told you. I'll always find you." A smile curved his lips. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to get here. He didn't hurt you or…"

I could tell what he was asking and I shook my head weakly. "No, at least I don't think so." At least I was fairly certain that Arnaud had wanted me conscious first for what he had in mind. He had seemed to crave that acknowledgement that it was Katherine that he had taken and that she would love him the way he loved her. Although what might have happened if Damon hadn't arrived when he did made my stomach lurch with disgust.

"Come on, let's get you back home." Pulling me into his arms, Damon rose to his feet, but he staggered under my weight.

It was my turn to ask. "Are you alright? It didn't work, did it? The curse is still there?" And he was still doomed as long as I loved him. I wasn't sure why I thought that killing Arnaud would lift the curse, but it was a bitter pill to swallow after everything we'd been through.

"I'll be alright in a minute, the bastard was tougher than he looked, that's all." He fixed me with his confident grin.

"Set me down."

"Elena I'll manage fine. Just give me a sec…"

"No, put me down, I need to get something." I insisted, immediately going to Arnaud's body the moment he put me on my feet. Fishing the bloodstone pendant from his neck, I ripped it from his body, holding it up for Damon to see. "This; he said it was a gypsy bloodstone curse. This must be the key to it." I didn't even want to think about what it might mean if it wasn't.

Damon took the stone from my hand, studying it intently. "So what do we do with it? Smash it to bits?" His hand rose to do exactly that but I stopped him.

"No, we don't know if that will do it. We need to get it to a witch, see if there's anything that can be done to reverse it." And seeing as how I only knew one witch… if she was still speaking with me that was. I hadn't tried to contact her at all since leaving town; my occasional emails to Jeremy had been my only contact with my past life.

"You mean go back to Mystic Falls?"

I nodded. "That's right. We're going home."

**A/N: More to come soon, I promise, but I've got some holiday stuff to attend to and I don't think I'd be forgiven if I sat writing all day. Happy Holidays to all, I wish you lots of joy and happiness!**

**P.S. Boy I'm getting tons of votes for not so secret option 5! It's looking like that will be the next VD writing project when this one and Tabula Rasa are wrapped up. Thanks to everyone who weighed in with an opinion!**

**Feedback is Love People**


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind Damon rescuing me.**

**Just to set your fears aside, Arnaud really is dead and gone. He was not one of the originals or anything so old and dangerous as that. **

**Holy cow you guys, 40 chapters! Won't be long now I think before it's all wrapped up. I hope Santa was good to you guys, you've been very nice to me this year!**

"_I'll be alright in a minute, the bastard was tougher than he looked, that's all." He fixed me with his confident grin. _

"_Set me down."_

"_Elena I'll manage fine. Just give me a sec…"_

"_No, put me down, I need to get something." I insisted, immediately going to Arnaud's body the moment he put me on my feet. Fishing the bloodstone pendant from his neck, I ripped it from his body, holding it up for Damon to see. "This; he said it was a gypsy bloodstone curse. This must be the key to it." I didn't even want to think about what it might mean if it wasn't._

_Damon took the stone from my hand, studying it intently. "So what do we do with it? Smash it to bits?" His hand rose to do exactly that but I stopped him. _

"_No, we don't know if that will do it. We need to get it to a witch, see if there's anything that can be done to reverse it." And seeing as how I only knew one witch… if she was still speaking with me that was. I hadn't tried to contact her at all since leaving town; my occasional emails to Jeremy had been my only contact with my past life. _

"_You mean go back to Mystic Falls?"_

_I nodded. "That's right. We're going home."_

_

* * *

_

By morning we were back in Mystic Falls and it felt strange to be riding in the rental car with Damon behind the wheel. He'd pitched a small fit at having to leave his car behind, but in the end had agreed with me that time was of the essence. We could always go back for it or send for it later. I had to admit, I was going to miss the old muscle car myself.

Though he didn't like to admit it, he was growing weaker by the hour, as if the curse had some sort of independent will; exacting its twisted vengeance, determined to rob us of our homecoming. I didn't argue when he drove straight to the boarding house; I wasn't up to seeing Jenna and Jeremy and dealing with any of their questions right off the bat.

The bloodstone pendant sat in my pocket, its cold hardness digging into my hip, as a constant reminder that there was a chance we wouldn't be able to beat this thing after all. From the moment we touched down, I tried to call Bonnie, regardless of the early hour; but her phone rang straight to voicemail. "Where could she be?" I muttered, setting down on the couch in Damon's living room where he flopped down beside me.

"Beats me. You want me to go over there, rough her up?" He flashed his eyes dangerously before breaking into a smile.

"You I think should take it easy. Why don't you get some rest and I'll drive over and see her?"

"You don't want to join me?"

I could tell his disappointment was warring with his fatigue. "No, I slept enough on the plane. I'll be back before you know it with the cavalry." Laying a quick kiss to his lips, he wrapped his arms around my waist to kiss me more thoroughly before he let me up. "I love you." My fingers lingered on the contours of his face. Since my love was damning him, I figured I might as well say it as much as possible.

"Right back atcha." He winked, his eyes closing as he settled a little deeper in to the couch.

"You're not going upstairs?" My brows rose in surprise, he must be more tired than I thought.

"No, I'm good. Come back soon; don't make me hunt your ass down again." Damon smirked without opening his eyes.

I stood watching him for a long moment before grabbing up the keys to the Ford Focus we'd rented and slipping out. As I drove the familiar roads to Bonnie's house, I hoped she was home. The last thing I wanted to do was have to track her down at the school; there were just too many people there I was still avoiding. Caroline, Matt, even Alaric… they would all come with more questions than I could deal with since the future was still so up in the air.

In the time that I'd been away, I'd been able to completely master the ability to stay up during the day; thanks to Isobel's ring. The question now begged asking… what would happen if we were successful in removing the curse? Would I try to recapture my old life? Go back to school, live with Jenna and Jeremy, go to the prom? It all sounded incredibly distant and surreal to me. I'd been living on my own for the past six months and any secret dreams I had locked away in my heart had centered around Damon and Damon alone. And what if Damon didn't survive? Could I really stay in the town where everything reminded me of him?

Pushing those thoughts away for the moment, I pulled up in front of Bonnie's house, gratified to see her little car parked out front. Not wanting to wake up her dad, I took a page from Damon's playbook, neatly vaulting up to her bedroom window to tap lightly on the glass. The rustle of bedclothes inside let me know she was in there, but it was a long time before she pushed back the curtains, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Elena… oh my god… wait, it is Elena, isn't it?" The surprise turned to fear as it dawned on her that I might be Katherine.

"No it's me, it's me!" I reassured her quickly, a smile returning to my face as she relaxed. "Hey, long time no see, right?"

Bonnie still looked stunned at my appearance at her window. "When did you get back into town? Are you okay? Did Damon find you? We've been going nuts looking for you." The questions tumbled out one on top of the other.

"Bonnie… chill… one thing at a time, okay? Can I come in?"

Indecision flitted over her features, but she nodded, "yeah," and it was enough to allow me over the threshold. Easily vaulting inside, I took a quick look around, my senses telling me that she had been alone despite the delay in responding.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, I waited for her to pull on a short robe before I tackled her questions. "Let's see now… just this morning, yeah I'm fine, yes he did." I smiled at the instant eye-roll she gave me. "I missed you guys too. How have you been?" For the next ten minutes or so we caught up on what we'd missed in each other's lives over the last six months. She hadn't talked much to Jeremy so she wasn't up on what was going on at my house, but apparently Damon had been pestering her to no end to help him find me. It was with her help that he'd finally tracked me down.

"Did I do the right thing?" Her teeth caught at her lower lip as she waited to see if I would blame her for Damon's current state.

"Yeah you did Bon, thanks to you we flushed Arnaud out and got this." I held up the bloodstone pendant and her eyes immediately locked on to it.

"What is that?" She murmured.

"It's the stone that bound the gypsy curse against Katherine and her line."

Bonnie continued to stare at it intently, reaching up to touch the stone. "I don't like it. It feels… wrong." She let go of it as if it had burned her fingers.

"Wrong? What do you mean by that?" It was not what I wanted to hear…

Her forehead furrowed as she struggled for the right way to explain it to me. "Most magic… it has a certain vibration to it. When you feel an object of power…" her hand went to the pale yellow stone that sat on her bedside table, "…you just feel… I don't know how to describe it, you can tell how strong or powerful it is. This talisman, it just feels right, like it's mine. Like it's always been mine. I've felt other things before that Grams has shown me and they all had the same undercurrent to them. But this… it just feels… wrong. Evil. Like it makes my skin crawl to touch it. Whoever spelled this stone… they had some serious power behind them, and they're tangling with forces I've never seen before."

It made sense. The curse was strong enough to affect not just Katherine but everyone of her line for more than a hundred and fifty years. "I was hoping you could help me figure out how to undo the curse."

Her face clouded at that. "Oh I don't know Elena… I haven't ever tried anything like that before."

"What about your Grams? Did you ask her about finding the grimoire? What did she say?" I'd almost forgotten about the search for the spellbook and trying to get the tomb open for Anna.

Bonnie shook her head. "She'd heard stories of the book but it's been out of our branch of the family for a long time. I can ask her about the curse; it's a gypsy curse you say?" She took up the pendant again from the chain, avoiding the stone itself.

"Yeah, can we go over there now?" I couldn't help but push a little; I wasn't sure just how much time Damon had left.

She seemed to understand my sense of urgency. "He's real bad again, huh?" Bonnie sighed when I nodded mutely. "I can go see her now but I think it's for the best if I go alone. No offense."

I nodded, understanding that the older lady didn't have much love in her heart towards vampires, especially given their family's history. "Thanks Bonnie, I really appreciate it."

"Yeah it's no problem." She smiled and for just a moment it was like it used to be when we were best friends, before all of the craziness happened. Before I had died and she'd become a witch. "I'll call you as soon as I find anything, okay?"

"Yeah okay, I have a new phone number, but I left you a few messages already this morning so you should have it."

"Oh, sorry. My dad makes me keep it off at night. Says he doesn't want me doing that sexting thing all hours of the night." Bonnie rolled her eyes again. "Are you going home?"

"I'm staying with Damon until we figure out what's going on. I figured it was for the best, you know… in case I have to leave again." Silence hung heavy in the air after that as we just looked at each other. "Well, I should get going, thanks again for doing this for me and just… thanks." I leaned forward to give her a hug, and to her credit, Bonnie didn't flinch at all before hugging me back.

I was almost all the way "home" again by the time I realized that I hadn't remembered to ask her exactly _how_ she'd helped Damon track me down. If I ever needed to disappear again, it might be good to know.

* * *

When I got back to the boarding house, I discovered that Stefan and Lexi were there too. After the requisite hugs, Lexi took me aside, leaving Stefan and Damon in the living room as we strolled outside. The weather had turned in my absence, the bite of fall and winter long past with spring starting to give way to the promise of summer.

Lexi waited until we were well away from the house before she spoke. "I'm glad you're back, but Damon…"

"He's already in bad shape, isn't he?" I could tell by the look on her face that it was worse than I'd suspected. Of course Damon had been hiding the worst of it from me; it was what he did. "What can we do to help him? I went to see Bonnie and she's going to see if her grandmother can help break the curse." But what if they couldn't figure it out in time?

"I think what he really needs is blood."

"Are you out of blood bags back at the house? Well let's go get some then." Stealth be damned, I'd raid the hospital if that was what it took.

"No, he needs something a little stronger than bagged blood." She said reluctantly.

"Fresh from the source?" Maybe it was callous of me, but I was ready to go and pick somebody off the street if that was what he needed to make him feel better.

"No, not human." She caught my arm as I was already starting to turn back to the house. "Something stronger." Lexi waited for me to catch up with her.

Finally it dawned on me what she was talking about. Vampire blood. Far stronger than human, it might buy him a little more time. "Why didn't you say so? I'll give him some of my blood right now." I tried to tug her towards the house since her hand was still on my arm but she held fast. What was she not telling me?'

"Look no offense but… you're practically a newbie at this, he's gonna need something older and stronger…"

I wasn't offended, just trying to think of options to buy us more time. "Well Stefan then." He was just as old as Damon; his blood had to be potent enough.

"He already offered and Damon passed. I was thinking… more along the lines of my blood." Lexi looked like she was waiting to see if I would hug her or hit her at the offer. And I had to admit, the idea didn't exactly thrill me. "I'm the oldest vampire in the area…"

"No yeah, I get it. I just… you surprised me is all, I didn't think of that as a possibility." The words came out of my mouth in a passably reasonable tone, but inwardly every fiber of my being was screaming that this was a terrible idea. Damon was _mine_. I knew that he'd have to drink from humans but we'd made that pact not to drink from the opposite sex. Here was the opportunity for him to break that promise, and it didn't sit well with me at all. It didn't matter that Lexi had no designs on him and was just offering to help; I couldn't shake the jealous streak that ran through me.

"Hey I'm not looking forward to being his juicebox either you know." She pointed out at seeing my hesitation.

I gave her a faint smile. "I just…" I knew how he got when he'd been drinking blood, what a sexually charged thing it became between the two of us. Would he be rubbing up against her while drinking her blood? All sorts of unpleasant images flitted through my mind. It felt good for both participants; would she end up enjoying it too?

"I won't do it if it bothers you that much." Lexi was quick to shake her head.

"No, he needs it." I frowned, knowing it to be true.

"We'll do it right in front of you, you'll see, it's not a big deal at all."

"No, I don't think I could…watch." It was distasteful to even say the words. "You go on inside, I'll just stay out here until it's over."

"You're sure?" Lexi hesitated, clearly still worried about upsetting me.

"Yeah I'm sure. Really, thanks for doing this for him. I know he's not your favorite person."

"Eh, he's not so bad once you get past his personality." She gave a half shrug. "And he's changed a lot since he met you." Lexi smiled.

Warmed by that, I nodded, watching her go back into the house. Keeping my distance, I headed for the woods, not in any particular hurry. Stefan came out looking for me not long after, and we walked together for a little while, catching up. He'd been looking for Katherine for a few months before giving up and returning to Mystic Falls. Lexi had stayed with him through it all.

"Do you ever wonder why she's stuck around Stefan?" I asked him, wondering if he would ever clue in to the fact that she had deeper feelings for him than he guessed.

"She's my friend. My best friend. Best friends do that for each other." Stefan shrugged.

"Yeah I guess so. Like opening up a vein for your best friend's brother? Even if you can't stand said brother?" I smiled faintly.

"Lexi really likes you too; I know she considers you her friend." Stefan pointed out.

"Yeah? Familiar with her feelings are you?" I couldn't resist the little dig but it went right over his head.

Stefan just looked back at me with a curious expression on his face. "Yeah, we've been friends for a long, long time. I know her better than almost anybody."

_Yeah, that's what he thought._ I looked back at the house distractedly, teeth worrying at my bottom lip as I imagined all sorts of lurid things going on in there.

"It's not as bad as you think you know." Stefan spoke, pulling me out of my reverie.

"What?" My attention snapped back to him.

"They're not in there going at it; she's just giving him some blood, like a transfusion."

"Yeah but, it's so… intimate…" I frowned, picturing Damon's mouth pressed to her neck. His tongue laving over her pulse before his teeth sank into her flesh. With a wince I realized that I'd been gripping my hands into fists so tightly that my nails had bitten into my skin, but the little wounds healed quickly.

"Not really. She's draining some blood from her wrist into a glass, and he's drinking it. Repeat as needed." He shrugged.

My eyes widened in surprise. "He's not drinking directly from her?" I gasped when Stefan shook his head.

"She offered him her wrist but he refused it, something about not wanting to break a promise."

All of a sudden I wanted to get back to the house as fast as I could, my heart turning over that Damon had refused her offer even after I had sanctioned it. I had just crossed over the threshold, all smiles as I saw Damon and Lexi sitting on opposite sides of the couch, Damon drinking from a crystal tumbler when my phone rang and I forgot to breathe as I saw Bonnie's name on the display. "Hey, what did you find out?"

"I'm so sorry Elena… I don't think we can make this work. Grams has no clue how to reverse a gypsy curse. She said it's not the same as the magic we work."

There was more that she said after that, but I didn't hear it as the phone slipped from my nerveless fingers.

**A/N: Ok no panicking. I could never let Damon die! I just bought them a little more time to figure things out, that's all. Let's hear your guesses guys, who's gonna come in and save the day?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a little road trip with Damon...**

**Good guesses from everyone! As for who will save the day, I'll say that it's someone who has a vested interest in breaking the curse and leave it at that for now. **

**To address a few comments:**

**Sorry no Elijah in this one. Timeline wise we're nearing the end of season one, no mention of the moonstone curse and he could probably care less if a vampire cursed anyone Katherine fell in love with. But I am looking forward to adding Elijah into something soon, I'm definitely starting to like that guy.**

**I'm not sure if I'll bring the big K into this one or not, I keep going back and forth on that. I can see the pros and cons of it. **

**Somehow I don't think that Stefan will ever clue in to Lexi's feelings, mostly because she doesn't want to rock the boat and say anything. But... they do have eternity after all. **

_My eyes widened in surprise. "He's not drinking directly from her?" I gasped when Stefan shook his head. _

"_She offered him her wrist but he refused it, something about not wanting to break a promise." _

_All of a sudden I wanted to get back to the house as fast as I could, my heart turning over that Damon had refused her offer even after I had sanctioned it. I had just crossed over the threshold, all smiles as I saw Damon and Lexi sitting on opposite sides of the couch, Damon drinking from a crystal tumbler when my phone rang and I forgot to breathe as I saw Bonnie's name on the display. "Hey, what did you find out?" _

"_I'm so sorry Elena… I don't think we can make this work. Grams has no clue how to reverse a gypsy curse. She said it's not the same as the magic we work."_

_There was more that she said after that, but I didn't hear it as the phone slipped from my nerveless fingers. _

"Elena?" Damon stood up, the blood forgotten as he caught sight of my face.

Still reeling over Bonnie's words, I shook my head. "This is it. Game over. I'm not doing this again." I backed away from him, from all of them.

In a burst of speed, Damon rushed over, blocking the front door with his body. "Oh no, you're not getting away from me again." He growled.

Not wanting an audience for this, I slipped into a side parlor, Damon hot on my heels. The house was so immense that there were all kinds of rooms that never saw much use. "Nothing's changed." I said miserably as soon as we were alone.

"I know; nothing's changed. I still love you and you still love me and we're in this together." He nodded, laying his hands on the tops of my shoulders.

"No, nothing's changed, don't you get it? She doesn't know how to undo the curse. No one knows. You'll just get weaker and weaker until you die and…" my voice failed as the tears started to fall. Big badass vampire Elena, blubbering away like a little baby.

He gathered me into his arms, holding me close and I melted into his embrace. "Shhh, we'll figure it out baby." His voice was soft and soothing, but instead of taking comfort in it, I had the opposite reaction.

My head came up to look at him even as my hands pushed him away. "How? How are we gonna figure it out Damon? You know what I have to do…"

"Don't." He gripped my arms tightly, nails biting into my skin with surprising strength. "You're not running away from me again." His eyes flashed dangerously, and I saw an edge of panic to them.

Realization dawned on me, we were talking about two different things. No wonder he was holding on to me so tightly. "Run away… Damon no, that's not what I meant." I couldn't do that to him, or to me. Not after the last time. I didn't think I could bear to be parted from him again. The idea still makes me feel uneasy to think about.

I could tell that I'd stumped him, his brows drawing together into a single dark line. "What then?"

"I won't leave…" I took a deep, steadying breath, "but I can switch off my emotions."

"No…" His response was immediate and resolute.

"Damon it's the only way. It'll keep you safe and it'll buy us enough time to work this out."

"I don't know…" He sounded unconvinced.

"Well I do. It might not make me all that much fun to be around, but we can still be together, that's better than nothing." I insisted stubbornly. Really it was my decision to make, and I wasn't willing to sacrifice him over a temporary shut down of emotions. What was the worst thing that could happen?

"Have you seen you without your emotions?" He grimaced, clearly thinking about the last time, or maybe even the time before that when I'd done it out of self preservation after he'd called me Katherine in bed.

"No? Remind you of someone, does it?" I smirked.

"Who?" Damon blinked, like I was talking crazy talk.

So he could dish it out but not take it, huh? It was hard to have sympathy for him in this after he'd acted pretty caustic when he'd first come to town. My first memories of him were of being such an ass I couldn't understand how he could possibly be related to Stefan. He had been the king of emotionless disinterest, even if he did really feel things deeply on the inside. "Oh I dunno, you?" I smiled sweetly.

"Very funny." He pulled me into his arms again with a playful smack to my rear end. "We have a little bit of time though. I'm feeling much better after Lexi's offer of… refreshment."

"About that…"

"You're not mad are you?" His brows came up a little.

"For you drinking her blood? God no, I know you needed it."

"Good cause… when you didn't come back, I thought you might be off having a little green pout somewhere." Damon smirked.

"I was not pouting. I was…"

"You're saying you weren't jealous of the idea of my drinking from Lexi?" A single brow was raised.

Even undead, I could feel my face flush as he called me out on it. "Maybe just a little." I held up my thumb and forefinger about a centimeter apart. Okay so it had been quite a bit more, but he didn't need to know that.

"Silly thing, don't you know, I only have fangs for you?" He grinned at his own stupid joke.

"That's almost romantic. Almost." A roll of the eyes was given. "So… I won't switch off my emotions just yet… but at the first sign that you're all feeble and incapacitated I fully reserve the right to go all cold and detached." My finger wagged at him in warning.

"Great, just what I always wanted in a girl." His lips twisted into a wry smile.

"I'm doing it because I love you, moron." I gave him a pointed look.

"Ah, such tender words of love…" Damon lightly tapped me on the end of the nose. "You know you were kinda hot without your emotions before… it might not be all that bad." He offered speculatively, earning him a smack across his perfect abs.

"Keep that up and I'll keep you chained up in the basement." I warned him.

"Now we're getting somewhere." He waggled his brows playfully.

I was feeling better just in talking it over with him, even though we didn't really have anything resembling a plan. "So what do we do now? Bonnie said neither her nor her Grams know anything about gypsy curses or how to break them."

Damon gave a careless shrug. "Who needs those witches? I never put all of our eggs in one basket anyway."

"You didn't?" That was news to me, I had been sure they would come through for us and hadn't given much thought to any other course of action.

"Of course not, I am a man of many talents, only one of which is networking. I've already put out some feelers. Somewhere out there someone will have the 411 on gypsy magick. Just wait and see, we'll get a bite soon."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as we held each other. I wanted to hope for the best, maybe this time we'd catch a break?

* * *

Only we didn't. Not a thing, not even a nibble. I tried the whole internet research thing but that proved to be a big bust. Did you know that a search for "gypsy magic" on google comes back with 724,000 results? And "gypsy curse" 139,000? It's amazing how helpful wikipedia isn't when searching for specifics.

I read a zillion entries that told me the curse was all in my head, or that if I chose Jesus Christ as my lord and savior my troubles would go away. But that wasn't getting Damon any better. I tried a dozen remedies from tossing spoons down on the floor to burning black candles to banish negative energy, nothing worked. I was willing to try sacrificing a goat but Damon flatly refused to put its entrails under his bedsheets for a month.

What I needed was to find someone who actually knew some gypsies. (search for "modern gypsies" on google? Over a million entries…) One person came to mind, and I set out to see the one person who might help me find her.

Alaric was surprised to find me standing on his doorstep when he got home from school that day but I gave him a friendly smile. "Hey Mr. Saltzman."

"Call me Alaric. No need to stand on ceremony when I'm your… well sort of would have been your step-father if things had turned out differently, right?" He gave me a crooked smile, waving me towards the house. I moved to follow him but was stuck at the door, it turned out I needed more of an invitation than a hand wave. "Oh right, please come in." He said formally at seeing me hovering by the door. "Have you been back in town long? Jenna didn't say anything…"

"No, just a few days… she doesn't know I'm here, and I'd prefer to keep it that way for now, if you don't mind." I gave him a pleading look. Alaric seemed surprised by my request, but he nodded easily enough.

"Are you back for good?" He asked, setting down his bag and keys.

"I don't really know yet. You see…" I wasn't sure what he did and didn't know about what had happened over the past six months or so. "Damon tracked me down but now that I'm back he's in bad shape again so… we really need to find out how to break the gypsy curse. I was sort of hoping you would help me track down Isobel."

"Yeah she said you might try to find her if you came back."

"She did?" I blinked. "When did she say that?"

A flush stole up the back of his neck and he looked like an overgrown kid with his hand stuck in the cookie jar. "She stops by every now and again, no warning or notice, I'll just look up and there she'll be." His eyes took on a faraway look as if he could see her just then. "And then she's gone again, sometimes after only a few words." A flicker of pain crossed over his features.

"So do you know how to reach her then?" I prodded gently.

"I have a number. I don't know if it goes directly to her, nobody ever picks it up. But if I call it she usually shows up a day or two later. I called it after you disappeared, I wasn't sure if I should be worried that Jenna didn't seem concerned at all that you were gone."

My heart twisted with guilt over that, but I truly believed I'd done the best that I could in a crappy situation. "How is Jenna?" I asked softly.

"She's good." A genuine smile lit his face. "You know Jenna, full of life."

Yeah, I'd done the right thing. "Are you still, you know, seeing each other?" I hoped so, but then again from the way he looked when I mentioned Isobel, maybe it would be a good thing if he and my Aunt weren't all that close.

"Yeah, we're dating." He looked a little uncomfortable again and I decided to stop putting him on the spot.

"I need you to get a message to Isobel for me." I changed the subject.

"Okay, you can leave it yourself." He offered, drawing out his cell phone, he paged through a few screens before bringing up the number.

My toes tapped anxiously as the phone rang, a little disappointed when she didn't pick up even though I'd been expecting it. At the beep I left a message, "It's Elena. We have the bloodstone that binds the gypsy curse, but we don't know how to break it. I need you to help us find a gypsy who can undo it, or at least point us in the right direction. So ah… call me, okay?" I left my new number slowly and distinctly.

"You really think you might be close to breaking the curse?" Alaric asked, surprised.

"I hope so, for Damon's sake, and mine." I sighed, handing him back the phone.

"For all of ours." He said grimly and I knew in that moment that my Aunt was gonna be disappointed when we did.

* * *

It was another three days before I heard anything back, but I got a voicemail from Isobel even though I don't remember missing a call. All she gave me was an address in Oak Hill just over the West Virginia border, telling me to ask for Mirela. Fast as an arrow I shot up the stairs to tell Damon, shaking him awake.

He'd been sleeping more and more lately, even after drinking Lexi's blood, and the look he gave me was bleary and unfocused when he opened his eyes. "Hey, I got a line on a gypsy from Isobel." I grinned from ear to ear. At least I thought it was a gypsy, Isobel hadn't exactly volunteered many details on her voicemail.

"Really? That's great." He smiled, pushing himself up to a seated position. Physically he still looked just as perfect as ever, his beautifully sculpted body solid and strong, but I knew he was growing weaker and weaker with each passing day. "When do we leave?" Damon swung his legs over the side of the bed, taking great pains to keep his face neutral, but I knew him well enough to see the tightening in his jaw from the effort it cost him.

"I think you should just stay here and rest. I can take Stefan with me, or Lexi maybe." I suggested.

"The hell I will." His face took on a mutinous cast as he pushed himself up to his feet. "I'm coming with you. You have no idea who this gypsy of Isobel's is and knowing her, she's just as likely to recommend someone who'd just as soon stake you as help you."

"Why would she do that? She wants the curse lifted too."

Damon snorted at that. "Sure she does, that's why she's been so helpful in breaking it before now. She must have had plenty of opportunities to do so with her research before."

"Did you ever stop to think that's why she got so good at research in the first place? To break this thing?" I posed the question, leaping to her defense as I twisted the ring she'd given me around my finger. "She wouldn't do anything to cause me harm, I'm sure of that."

"Well I'm not, so I've got your back on this one." His steps were slow but determined as he made his way to the wardrobe to pull out a fresh shirt to wear. I couldn't bear it any longer, not when I could spare him this pain.

"I love you, you know." I said softly, gathering that love around me and basking in it for a long moment before I concentrated on locking away those emotions.

"Love you too baby, I…" Damon realized what I was doing too late, he whirled, a stricken look on his face. "Elena don't…"

It was easier than last time, but then again I wasn't reeling from such highs and lows; I'd been preparing myself for the loss of emotion for some time now. "Don't what?" I tugged on my jacket from where it hung across his desk. Crossing the room, I paused to drop a quick kiss on those delectable lips, ignoring the fleeting urge to pull him down onto the bed for a little quickie before we hit the road. I might not be filled with true love anymore but that didn't mean I didn't find him sexy as hell. "Come on Sexy Beast, Road Trip. You're driving, I call shotgun." I tossed him the keys, leaving him standing there slack jawed.

**A/N: Back by popular request… more Elena with her emotions switched off! We'll see what kind of trouble that gets her into when they go in search of gypsies and Damon has to be the voice of restraint, lol.**

**Feedback is Love People**


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a little road trip with Damon...**

**I admit, I do like the picture of Damon trying to rein Elena in, we'll see what happens…**

"_Well I'm not, so I've got your back on this one." His steps were slow but determined as he made his way to the wardrobe to pull out a fresh shirt to wear. I couldn't bear it any longer, not when I could spare him this pain. _

"_I love you, you know." I said softly, gathering that love around me and basking in it for a long moment before I concentrated on locking away those emotions. _

"_Love you too baby, I…" Damon realized what I was doing too late, he whirled, a stricken look on his face. "Elena don't…"_

_It was easier than last time, but then again I wasn't reeling from such highs and lows; I'd been preparing myself for the loss of emotion for some time now. "Don't what?" I tugged on my jacket from where it hung across his desk. Crossing the room, I paused to drop a quick kiss on those delectable lips, ignoring the fleeting urge to pull him down onto the bed for a little quickie before we hit the road. I might not be filled with true love anymore but that didn't mean I didn't find him sexy as hell. "Come on Sexy Beast, Road Trip. You're driving, I call shotgun." I tossed him the keys, leaving him standing there slack jawed. _

_

* * *

_

Damon was in a dark mood as we sped off into the night. He'd… borrowed… Stefan's shiny red car without asking, which was fine with me, the little sports car was a beauty. He took the roads much faster than was safe or prudent, maneuvering the car with masterful skill that I admit… was kinda sexy. I shot him a smile, and he returned it with stony silence at first, refusing to look at me, though I did catch a couple of quick, furtive looks in my direction. But as I kept focusing on him, my smile fixed in place, his calm, cool, indifferent exterior cracked; that familiar smirk snapping back into place. Satisfied that he was done pouting for the moment, I laid my eyes on the road ahead and turned up the music.

It was a long drive to West Virginia. Not so much because it was all that far, but because Damon was doing his best impression of Broody Stefan and Stefan's car stereo didn't work for shit.

Also… "I'm hungry." I sighed, shifting in the seat a little.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before we left the house." Damon replied sourly.

"I wasn't hungry then. Besides, I was eager to get on the road, weren't you?" It sure seemed like it for as fast as he was burning rubber. "But we're going to a new city; that means new hunting grounds. Could be fun." I flashed my eyes at him mischievously, mocking his trademark eye thing.

"Unh uh, no way. We're not gonna deal with any of that, this is a strict fact finding mission only, not a take out run." His voice was firm.

"Oh come on, you don't seriously mean that, do you? I mean I know you took the car but when did you swap bodies with Stefan?" I teased, trying to draw him out a little, but all that happened was his knuckles turned a shade whiter as he gripped the steering wheel. Switching tactics, I leaned closer, drawing my fingers up the length of his arm. "I'll be good Damon, I promise. I haven't killed anyone in all the time I was feeding on my own. You can even watch if you want to." My voice was soft and sultry, doing my level best to coax him over to my way of thinking. Taking his silence as more of a challenge than a refusal, I ran my hand up the top of his thigh, leaning close, my lips brushed the outer whorl of his ear as I spoke. "Unless, you'd rather try something a bit more… intimate. You know I'd always rather share with you than drink alone." I purred.

I felt it the instant before he caved in and a rush of triumph went through me as his arm shot out to pull me close. Even as he kept one eye on the road, Damon wrapped one hand around the back of my head, kissing me hungrily. Trusting him to keep us from ending up a fiery ball of flame wrapped around a tree, I scooted closer, hands busy, I half straddled his lap as we kissed with abandon.

It had been a long, long time since I'd experienced Damon like this; strong, in control, dangerous and I reveled in it, letting him do with me what he would as he pushed us faster in the sports car. His clever hands managed to keep us on the road even as they made me gasp with delight and I did my best to return the favor in kind. One thing led to another, as it often does, and soon I felt the push of fangs descending and I scraped them across the throb of his pulse, seeking permission without the benefit of words. Damon's response was delivered with a strategic thrust of his fingers and my teeth sank into his throat on a ragged edge of a moan.

I could feel his body pulsing with mine as I drank, but the sting of his teeth never came. Instead I just collapsed against him, pleasantly sated, watching the miles stream by through the windshield. Once I had recovered enough, I reached for him, but his hand caught my wrist. "You don't want me to reciprocate?" I raised a brow.

"Later." Damon replied firmly but not harshly.

"You could pull over, I wouldn't mind." I smiled back. It wasn't like the gypsies were gonna disappear in the next couple of hours.

"I think I'd rather wait until I have you back the way you belong." He commented, his eyes on the road.

"Seriously? You don't want to be with me until I go back to touchy feely Elena?" I balked.

"I love you Elena, and I'm willing to wait until you love me back."

What kind of crap was that? He'd been just fine to do all manner of things with me the first time I'd had my emotions off. "That kinda sounds like a challenge to me." I gave him a speculative grin. "I'll bet I can get you to change your mind about that." He'd wanted me; I could feel it in his kiss.

"We'll see, won't we?" He smirked.

Oh it was on… as if he'd thrown down a gauntlet, I would break him before I flipped that switch even if it was only to prove that I could. "Suit yourself." I shrugged, affecting nonchalance, scooting back over to the passenger's seat, righting my clothes and running my fingers through my hair. "Don't you need to eat a little something though?"

"Don't you worry about me sweetheart, I got it covered." He dropped a wink.

* * *

The address Isobel supplied took us to a little hole in the wall place with neon signs in the windows advertising palms read and fortunes told. Though the hour was late, the place was still open according to the sign that also told us that they accepted debit cards.

"You've got to be kidding me; we're supposed to find a real gypsy here?" Damon's voice was thick with skepticism as he pulled up across the street.

"What? We're looking for modern gypsies, right? What'd you expect? A little village of tents squatting on a vacant lot?" I snorted, stepping out of the car.

"Nobody better screw with the car, it's a long walk back to Mystic Falls." He muttered, slamming the door.

"I can take care of that." I replied, striding up to a group of three guys loitering in a doorway a couple of buildings down. "Evening fellas." I smiled. The shortest of them pushed himself up from his slouched position to greet me. He was just an inch or so taller than me, with a completely shaven head and tattoos peeking out of every hem of his shirt.

"Out kinda late, aren't ya girlie?" He grinned, looking me up and down with obvious interest.

"See that car over there by my insanely hot boyfriend?" I jerked my head back towards where Damon leaned against the car and I could tell he was listening to every word we were saying by the way his lips twitched in amusement.

"Yeah? What about it?"

I had their attention now, and it was so easy to exert just a little of my influence, bending them to my will in one swoop. "Nobody steals that car, you get me? Nobody touches it; nobody even gets close to it. You'll do anything it takes to make sure it's in perfect condition when we come back to it, understand?"

"Anything it takes." He parroted back with a dazed nod that was echoed by his buddies.

"Good, catch you later." I smiled brightly, sauntering back to where Damon waited. "See? Better than a guard dog." I patted his cheek lightly as I passed on my way to the shop without stopping. A little bell jingled when I opened the door and if I hadn't had enhanced vampire vision I would have had to squint a little in the dim light. Every available light source was draped in some kind of fabric, casting the room in a series of interesting shadows.

There was a short counter where a girl sat flipping through the pages of a tabloid, a can of diet coke on the desk next to her. She was dressed like something from a Disney movie gone horribly wrong. A series of brightly colored scarves made up the bulk of her skirts, she even had one tied around the riot of dark curls that cascaded down one shoulder. Her bodice pushed the 'girls' up front and center and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Damon had definitely taken advantage of the view his height gave him.

She noticed it too, directing her attention to him along with her smile. "Well now, what can we do for you tonight?" She asked, her voice shrill and grating to my ears, but Damon gave no sign that he found it to be so.

"We're looking for Mirella." Damon returned with a charming smile.

"Mirella isn't working tonight, but I'm sure we can help you anyway. Would you like to see Madame Olga?"

"I'm sure that'll work just fine." He replied.

"We're supposed to see Mirella." I hissed.

"What difference does it make? One gypsy's as good as another." He shrugged, following the girl down the hallway when she beckoned.

When she paused partially blocking the doorway so that Damon would have to brush against her to pass I ducked in front of him, a chilly smile on my face that didn't reach my eyes. "He's taken honey." The girl backed off, a frightened look on her face, and party of me wondered what she'd seen to give her a fright, but most of me was just glad to see her scurry off.

There was a round table in the room draped with more colorful scarves and an honest to god crystal ball on a pewter stand right in the center of the table. "This is gonna be good." Damon muttered, sprawling on of the chairs. I was about to take the seat beside him when a little old lady, also dressed up like it was Halloween appeared in the doorway, a smile creasing her weathered face.

"I tell you fortune." Her voice was heavily accented, but it could have been an act for all of the other theatrics.

"Actually we're looking for Mirella." I smiled back pleasantly.

The old lady shook her head as she settled down heavily into the chair that creaked under her weight. "Mirella no here, Olga read you fortune." She laid her hand out. "Cross my palms with silver and I tell you future." She nodded and smiled and I noticed she was missing a few teeth.

"What do I get for a fiver?" Damon produced a five dollar bill, tossing it down and Madame Olga snatched it with surprising speed, tucking it into her bodice where it was safe as houses.

"Give me you hand." She nodded encouragingly to Damon who laid his hand out palm up.

"Which one's my lifeline?" He smirked.

Madame Olga peered over his hand for a moment, her face pinched while she searched for the line in question until she dropped his hand with a strangled cry, hand going to her heart. A string of unrecognizable words spewed from her lips and I had to wonder if we were being cursed again?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… calm down lady…" I rose when she did, not knowing what to expect. Her cries brought another girl, this one dressed in regular street clothes, her long brown hair caught up in a simple pony tail. Upon closer inspection she looked to be a little older, mid twenties… or maybe it was just the hardness around her eyes that lent her that maturity.

"Leave." She said simply before turning to the old lady with a soothing string of words I couldn't follow.

"We're not trying to cause any trouble, we're looking for Mirella, Isobel sent us." I tried again, even as Damon started to tug me towards the door.

"There's no Mirella here, you must have the wrong place."

I _knew_ she was lying and I stared back at her, wondering what was the best way to crack this particular nut. "Why don't you bring out Mirella, let us talk to her and we'll be on our way. Otherwise…" I shook my head sadly, the implication of violence hanging heavy in the air.

"Yeah genius plan Elena, threaten the person you're trying to get to help you." Damon rolled his eyes.

"You do it all the time." I retorted, rapidly losing what patience I possessed. I was prepared to start cracking skulls to get some answers, but when I looked back to the girl she was watching me, an inscrutable expression on her face.

"You're Elena?" She asked, her head canted to one side.

"You know me?" I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Her lips twisted into a wry grin. "Let's just say I've heard the name a time or two. That would make you… Stefan? No, you don't have that puppy dog look about you; you must be the other one. Damon, right?"

"Glad to see my reputation precedes me." Damon grinned back.

"Yeah it has, so watch it." She smirked back. "_E Bunica bine_, go on up to bed, I'll handle these two." The last was directed by the old woman who still stared at us like we carried the plague.

"_în Mira, __ei__sunt__strigoi_!" she replied, tugging at the girl's arm to try and drag her from the room.

"I know, and I can take care of myself." The girl's eyes were on us at that last, wanting us to know she wasn't without her methods of defense and I believed it. She had a capable look about her, like it was no big deal to throw down with a couple of vampires, because I was certain that she'd figured out what we were and could care less. "Go watch your stories, I'll be up later." She smiled at the old woman, waiting for her to depart before she turned back to us.

"Mirella I presume?" Damon asked and the girl nodded, taking a seat at the table and producing a pack of cigarettes. We followed her example and once we were all seated, I began again.

"So yeah, Isobel sent us; she said you might be able to help us break a gypsy curse."

"THE curse huh? She's been after me to break that thing for years. I'll tell you the same thing I told her. Without knowing how it was bound, there's not a goddamn thing I can do about it." She shook her head, blowing out a long plume of smoke.

"And what if we had the pendant that bound it?" I smiled back, producing the bloodstone and dangling it from the chain.

"May I?" Mirella asked, laying her hand out palm up.

"That's what we're here for." Damon muttered and I shot him a look. She took the pendant, her eyes closing as her fingers closed around it.

"Wow, there's a lot of serious juice here… it'll be hard to break this curse. But it can be done…" Her eyes snapped open again. "…for a price."

"Name your price." Damon replied and I couldn't help but kick him under the table. What kind of way was that to open negotiations? "What? We're this close Elena; I'll do whatever it takes. You want me to cross your palms with silver? I assume you take credit cards?" He started to pull out his wallet.

Mirella ignored the jibe, her attention focused on me. "I am glad to hear that. But will you?"

"Will I what? Do whatever it takes? You'll get your price, how much do you want?" Greed I could understand, and I was happy to pay her if she could really pull it off. If she couldn't… well she wouldn't get much of a chance to spend that money, now would she?

"Yes, I will have my price for helping you, but it will cost you more than money. Just how far are you willing to go to break this curse and save the man you love?" Her eyes flicked to Damon, hard as agates.

**A/N: Dun, dun, dun… Stay tuned to see what it'll cost Elena to break the curse and if Damon lets her agree to it. **

**Just a few short weeks till TVD is back on guys! Hang in there! On the bright side, while it's off I can pretend I didn't read anything about Damon getting a new love interest…**

**Feedback is Love People**


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a little road trip with Damon...**

**Great guesses on what the price will be! I never really considered Mirella asking for something from Damon or to be turned until you guys suggested it. But as you'll see, it's something much more dangerous…**

"_Wow, there's a lot of serious juice here… it'll be hard to break this curse. But it can be done…" Her eyes snapped open again. "…for a price."_

"_Name your price." Damon replied and I couldn't help but kick him under the table. What kind of way was that to open negotiations? "What? We're this close Elena; I'll do whatever it takes. You want me to cross your palms with silver? I assume you take credit cards?" He started to pull out his wallet. _

_Mirella ignored the jibe, her attention focused on me. "I am glad to hear that. But will you?" _

"_Will I what? Do whatever it takes? You'll get your price, how much do you want?" Greed I could understand, and I was happy to pay her if she could really pull it off. If she couldn't… well she wouldn't get much of a chance to spend that money, now would she?_

"_Yes, I will have my price for helping you, but it will cost you more than money. Just how far are you willing to go to break this curse and save the man you love?" Her eyes flicked to Damon, hard as agates._

"Well, what are we really talking about here?" Dramatics aside, I wasn't stupid enough to give any kind of answer until I knew what the stakes were.

Mirella leaned forward, her face alight with something I couldn't identify. Clearly she found this all interesting as hell, but I wasn't sure if she had some other secret agenda wrapped up in it. "All good gypsy curses require a blood sacrifice to break them. Most times it can be done with dove's blood or a goat." She explained. "But this one…it's not your run of the mill evil eye. To break the curse we're going to need not only the heart's blood from the line that was cursed, but an actual piece of your heart to stamp out the curse. For a mortal woman it would mean death. But for a vampire like yourself…"

She had to be kidding me… cut out a piece of my heart? "Yeah like that's gonna happen. You want me to let you cut out a piece of my heart?" I scoffed. It had to be a joke.

"No, I want you to let him do it." Her head nodded towards Damon. "It's got to be done by the person you love."

"Not a chance in hell." Damon was adamant. "She could still die, vampire or not."

It didn't sound at all appealing, especially without the motivation of my love for Damon driving me. But that didn't mean I didn't remember that I had wanted to break this curse more than anything before I'd turned my emotions off. That desire to break it was still there even if the feelings behind it were not. "Assuming for a moment I'm even entertaining the notion, how big of a piece are we talking about?"

Her hand flopped back and forth. "It's hard to say. It's got to be enough that it's a real sacrifice, but not your whole heart." She held up her fingers in the size and shape of a sand dollar to indicate the size she thought might do it.

"You're crazy …" I gasped, trying to picture myself surviving a chunk of my heart that size carved out of my body. It wasn't a stake through the heart, and it wasn't decapitation… maybe I could survive it, but I just couldn't seem to muster the enthusiasm to try. The price was just too steep.

"No fucking way…" Damon's face was thunderous as he rose from the table, upending it in the process. "I'm no expert in vampire physiology, but I'm pretty sure this practically qualifies as having your heart torn out, and that spells final death for our kind. What good is it gonna do to break the curse and save my life if she dies in the process?"

"There's definitely a chance she could survive." Mirella replied, unfazed by the table's upset. "It would take a long time to heal from and you might go into torpor from it, but more than likely your body would heal itself. Either way, you have a few days to think about it until the new moon. That's when it would have to be done. Three nights from tonight."

"No, there's no way she's gonna do this, it's not worth the risk." Damon threw some money down at the table. "Sorry to have wasted your time." Without waiting for a reply he yanked me out of there with enough force to have bruised a human, but I only felt a twinge of pain in the motion.

"Suit yourself! You know where to find me if you change your mind!" She called out after us.

Damon sat in stony silence as he drove us into the night, his jaw clenched tight. I freely admit, I felt nothing; not a twinge of sympathy for not being willing to come through for him. It helped that he had pretty much refused to go through with the ritual either, it left me off the hook. Eventually he'd come to accept it, and if he didn't… well at least he'd be alive. We both would.

"So much for that." I commented after a while, but I got no response out of him. "Where are we going?" I tried again.

"Fuck if I know." He bit out.

"Why don't we hole up for the rest of the night, get some sleep before we go back? Better yet, why go back at all? Why not just keep driving? Come on it'll be a lot of fun. Think of all the stuff we can do together? We can see the world, do whatever we want?" I warmed to the subject, a thrill of excitement going through me at the prospect. I'd spent more of my undead life as a vampire with my emotions turned off than I had with them turned on, it was the norm for me.

And I liked it.

It was so much simpler. You wanted something, you took it. Having someone like Damon to share it with sounded even better. If I could get him to quit moping around and see that there was something worth living for without his precious emotional Elena.

"Yeah. Whatever." His voice sounded distant, remote and I wondered if he'd made the mental switch to leave his emotions behind as well? He didn't say anything else, but he did pull the car to a stop in front of the nicest hotel to be found in the heart of the city. Damon had expensive tastes, and I had to agree, it sounded much nicer to live in style than to stay at some cheap roadside motel.

Damon strode right up to the front counter, immediately focusing on the bored looking night clerk. "Give me the most expensive room you have. You don't need any ID, you don't need anything. Just give me the key. No one disturbs us." There was an undercurrent of threat to his voice, wholly unnecessary given the fact that he had the clerk completely under his thrall with the smallest of mental pushes. For my part, I could only watch in admiration as the clerk scurried to do Damon's bidding.

The "Presidential Suite" wasn't nearly as fancy as the name sounded, but it was spacious and clean, probably the best we could hope to get in a city that sized. "Hey, how about we call up for room service and have ourselves a snack?" I suggested with a waggle of the eyebrows to let him know I wasn't at all interested at what might be on the menu. Not that I was all that hungry after that little episode in the car, but he was probably going to need to eat soon.

"You go ahead, I'm not hungry." Damon went to the window and stood looking out into the night sky.

With a frown I stood watching him stare off at nothing. "So… we're gonna make this work, right?" At that moment I was having some doubts that he was wholly on board with the new plan. Running my hand up the back of his shirt, I caressed the muscles there lightly. "Let's just relax and try to enjoy what we've got." For a long moment he didn't reply and I let my hand fall away. I sure as hell wasn't gonna beg him to be with me but then he surprised me.

"Yeah, no I get it. This is our life now." His lips crashed against mine with almost punishing force and I made a muffled sound of surprise against his mouth. Desire swept through me in an instant, and I met his kiss hungrily. There were no tender words of love or gentle caresses as he pressed me up against the wall, trapping my body with his. It wasn't in my nature to surrender so easily and I pushed back against his body to try and reach for him, but he wasn't having any of it. Damon caught up both of my hands drawing them up over my head and pinning them to the wall in an unbreakable grip as he made short work of any clothes that stood between us. Intent on setting the pace, he ignored my struggles to break free, continuing his tender assault and driving me crazy with need as he sank into me.

This Damon didn't ask; he took what he wanted. I gave up trying to fight for dominance and just enjoyed the ride. I became vaguely aware that he was driving into me hard enough to dent the drywall behind me, but I could have cared less as I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him deeper; it was the only control I had. Pleasure mingled with pain as he punished me for not being what he wanted.

Looking back it seems obvious that was what he was doing but at the time, I loved every second of it. The sting of his fangs sinking into my throat was enough to send me over the edge and I instantly sank my teeth into his flesh in kind, reveling in the taste of him, the blood exchange pushing the fulfillment we found together to a new level. On and on it went, until I felt like I couldn't take it a moment longer or I might actually pass out from sheer delight; and then he slowed, still pressed tight to my body as he withdrew his fangs. I pulled back, expecting to see that satisfied smirk on his lips, but instead there were tears standing in his eyes.

"Just don't leave me." He pleaded with me in a broken voice, his lips turning tender then; placing soft kisses along my throat. "Promise me you'll stay with me, even if you can never love me."

My heart turned over even as my mind screamed out in anguish as the loved welled up inside me, too strong to be held back. Emotions surged forth and I kissed him desperately, half afraid and half surging with joy to feel that love between us again. "I'm so sorry…" I whispered when our lips parted, the dread growing as I watched him for signs of what my love would do to him. Damon staggered backwards, no longer having the strength to hold me up, and I did my best to disentangle myself from him to keep us from toppling over. "Damon? Oh my god, Damon are you alright?" I knelt by his side, seeing the pain etched over his features.

Damon's hand came up, "Just give me a minute."

"Christ, this wasn't supposed to happen…" How could my emotions just flip back on like that without me wanting them to? But then again… that's what had happened before hadn't it? On some level, I wasn't able to deny Damon my love, and suddenly we found ourselves right back where we started. "I'm so sorry." I repeated the apology, hating myself for causing him this pain.

"For loving me?" The corner of his mouth turned up into a weak smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"But we can't keep doing this… you'll die."

"I'm not dead yet." He struggled to get up to his feet, and I instantly helped him over to the couch where he settled in with a tired sigh. "We'll figure something out Elena, just… let me enjoy the fact that you're back here with me before you start harping on the doom and gloom, okay?"

"I've been here the whole time." I muttered, settling next to him after righting my clothes.

"You know what I mean. It's not the same."

My heart swelled with love for him and I couldn't imagine how I'd managed to go even a moment without feeling the enormity of that love for Damon. How could I not do anything it took to be with him? "I'm gonna go out for a little bit, see if I can't get us something to eat, okay?" There had to be a clinic or something around that stored blood, or I'd pull someone from the hotel staff if that's what it took. That and I knew what else I had to do.

"No, stay with me." His hand covered mine, but there was no strength in it to hold me.

"I'll be back before you know it and you'll feel better after you have some blood." Pressing a kiss to his hand, I laid it gently back in his lap. "Just stay here and leave everything to me."

"Don't do anything stupid Elena." His eyes still had the ability to hold me even if his grip didn't, but I forced a smile to my lips.

"Of course not. I'll be back soon." I slipped out of there before he could protest any further, waiting until I was out sitting in the car before I allowed myself to even start thinking about what to do next. It was easy enough to find the number to the little fortune telling shop, and despite the late hour, I had no qualms in calling it. Someone answered on the fourth ring and I cut her off mid spiel. "I need to speak to Mirella, please tell her it's Elena." There was nothing but silence, but I could tell that she had set the phone down rather than hang up. In another minute, I heard Mirella's voice come through on the line.

"Did you have a change of… heart?"

"Is that supposed to be funny?" I had zero tolerance for the amusement at our expense.

"Sorry, couldn't resist it." She replied.

"Try." She didn't sound all that contrite to me, but I needed her and decided not to belabor the point. "Look, something's happened, I need you to do the spell or whatever you call it to break the curse as soon as possible."

"Can't." Mirella said simply.

"Can't or won't?" I was ready to start cracking skulls to get what I wanted with Damon lying up there all weakened because I couldn't hold it together for longer than a day. If she needed a bit more motivation, I was happy to supply it.

"Can't. Not until the new moon remember? This isn't something you want to screw with; we've got to get it right the first time."

Mollified by her answer, I nodded on my side of the call. "Alright then, in three days did you say? I just hope Damon can last that long."

"I could give you a charm that might help keep his strength up, but…"

"Let me guess, it'll cost me?" Why did it seem like the price was always so high?

"Nothing in this life is free, Elena." She pointed out.

What choice did I have? I would do anything to keep Damon safe. Anything. "Alright, I'll be right over, how fast can you have it ready?"

"It won't take long, but I can't start it until you get here. I'll need something personal from you to make it more effective."

Personal. She was already asking for a piece of my heart for the other ritual, how much more of me was she going to take? "I'll be right there." I repeated, hanging up. There was one more call I needed to make as I drove through the deserted streets on the way back to the shop. Dialing the number Alaric had given me for Isobel; I left her a long message, hoping like hell it wouldn't cut me off before I had a chance to fill her in on everything that was going down. Letting her know that with any luck, in three days time she would be free.

We all would.

**A/N: So, what do you guys think of the price? Should she go through with it? How will she get Damon to go along with it?**

**Feedback is Love People**


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a little road trip with Damon...**

**Thanks for the reviews! I figured a piece of her heart just sounded so old school with regards to magic, I couldn't resist it.**

**And a special thanks to SoUtHeRnBeLLe706 for the little plot bunny that decided to hop its way into the story!**

_Mollified by her answer, I nodded on my side of the call. "Alright then, in three days did you say? I just hope Damon can last that long."_

"_I could give you a charm that might help keep his strength up, but…"_

"_Let me guess, it'll cost me?" Why did it seem like the price was always so high?_

"_Nothing in this life is free, Elena." She pointed out._

_What choice did I have? I would do anything to keep Damon safe. Anything. "Alright, I'll be right over, how fast can you have it ready?"_

"_It won't take long, but I can't start it until you get here. I'll need something personal from you to make it more effective."_

_Personal. She was already asking for a piece of my heart for the other ritual, how much more of me was she going to take? "I'll be right there." I repeated, hanging up. There was one more call I needed to make as I drove through the deserted streets on the way back to the shop. Dialing the number Alaric had given me for Isobel; I left her a long message, hoping like hell it wouldn't cut me off before I had a chance to fill her in on everything that was going down. Letting her know that with any luck, in three days time she would be free. _

_We all would._

_

* * *

_

Two hours later I returned to the room, a bag of O positive in one hand and Mirella's gypsy charm in the other. "Honey I'm home." I called out, thinking Damon wouldn't mind being woken up with the goodies I had for him.

"Did you bring home the bacon?" Damon looked like he hadn't moved an inch since I'd left him, still slouched on the sofa.

"Huh?" Did he want bacon? Maybe he had the munchies? "We could order up some room service, or I could run out and pick something up."

"Nevermind, old joke; before your time." He smiled, patting the seat next to him on the couch.

"I did bring you home a couple of things to keep your strength up." I tossed him the blood bag first, thinking he would appreciate it far more than the news that I had gone back to see Mirella.

"Thanks."

We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes while he "ate". I was feeling pleasantly tired, and I considered putting off the expected argument about breaking the curse until after we'd gotten a good night's rest. But I also couldn't deny him any strength Mirella's charm might provide, so as soon as he finished, I presented him with it. "Here, put this on."

The gypsy charm was a delicate piece made with nine strands of my hair that she'd knotted together nine times to form a little wreath that hung from a leather thong.

"Gee…thanks. I ah, didn't get you anything…" Damon studied it, a confused look on his face. "What is this thing?"

"It's kind of a good luck charm. Wear it next to your heart." I replied, looping it around his neck and tucking it under his shirt.

"Since when do you believe in good luck charms?" He peered at it skeptically.

"Since we can use all the luck we can get." I retorted.

"It itches."

Ugh, men were such babies sometimes… "That is the least of your problems right now. Keep it on, Mirella said it'd help you stick it out until it's time to do the ritual."

"You went back to that place?" His face darkened with anger.

"Yeah I did. In case you didn't notice, you're not exactly in great shape thanks to this curse. We need all the help we can get Damon."

"I prefer help that doesn't want to cut your heart out."

"Where else do you think we're gonna get help from?" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "I don't exactly see people lining up at our door to help save a vampire's life. We're running out of time and I'm gonna do anything I can to break this curse before it's too late."

"I'm not gonna let you do that." He sat up a little taller and I thought it looked like he was feeling stronger, thanks to Mirella's charm. Hopefully he would keep the damn thing on or I'd have to keep him tied up until the ritual.

"Well it's not up to you."

"Actually it is. She said _I'd_ have to be the one to do the cutting, remember?"

He had me there. I couldn't compel him to be the one to cut my heart, and it had to be someone I loved. Experience had taught me that Damon could be very stubborn when he wanted to be, how on earth was I going to convince him to cooperate? Unless… "What if we could test it out ahead of time… see if I'd survive?"

"You want me to practice cutting out your heart? No deal." He snorted.

"No, I don't mean on me. There must be some other vampire out there that deserves a little bit of creative knife play."

"You suggest we snatch some vamp off the street and do a little experimenting?" His brows rose in surprise, but I could see the wheels turning in his head; he was actually considering this.

"It sounds better than waiting to see how it works on the night of the dark moon or whatever it was she called it. I know it sounds barbaric but… it might be the only way to see what we're getting ourselves into."

Damon stared at me a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Huh. Who knew you could be practical about something like this, I would have thought you'd be a bit more squeamish."

"Damon, as much as I want to break the curse and end this thing, I don't want to die either. We've got three days; let's get all the information we can so we go into it with our eyes open. Forewarned is forearmed and all that."

He nodded, reaching out to cover my hand with his. "I'm not going to cut your heart out." Damon said softly, those beautiful blue eyes holding mine.

"Let's just get some rest. We have plenty of time to argue about it tomorrow."

* * *

Late the next morning we drove back to Mystic Falls, the trip surprisingly pleasant as neither one of us were in the mood to argue, so neither one of us brought up the curse. Damon seemed to be feeling better, Mirella's charm worked like a… well, a charm, and if I hadn't known him so incredibly well, I might not have even known he wasn't at full strength. As far as I was concerned, the payment for that particular bit of magic was well worth every penny, or drop as the case may be. Instead of any cash for conjuring up the charm, Mirella had asked for a small vial of my blood. I considered asking what she would use it for but in the end I'd just given it to her. If she wanted to turn herself into a vampire, or use it to hex someone, I didn't really care. All I wanted was for Damon to feel better if at all possible. Looking back now, I probably should have been more curious, but hey, hindsight is always 20/20, right?

We decided to call a brief meeting to bring everyone up to speed on the new developments instead of having to re-tell the tale over and over again. Soon Stefan, Lexi, Alaric, Bonnie and Jeremy were sitting in Damon's living room, eager to hear about the possible breaking of the curse and testing out whether or not a vampire could survive having its heart cut out in the first place.

It turned out I didn't have to take care of the testing myself. Stefan was on board for trying the experiment himself. Well not himself – as in cutting into his own chest - himself, but for capturing another vampire and cutting out a piece of their heart. I hadn't thought of him as particularly blood thirsty and it seemed a gruesome duty to undertake, but he assured me solemnly that he was up to the task. A bigger surprise was the fact that Alaric had volunteered to go with him. Lexi offered to go along and make sure everything went alright and for some reason that made me feel a lot better. The three of them holed up in the parlor to come up with a plan of action and from the glint of excitement in their eyes, I half expected the boys to come out in commando gear with greasepaint on their faces.

Bonnie caught up with me in the kitchen as we made cocoa for the troops, leaving Jeremy to discuss the pros and cons of Xbox 360 versus Playstation 3 with Damon. "So, you still haven't been home yet since you got back?" She asked.

"No, I thought it would be easier on Jenna to keep things on an even keel until I know what's going to happen. I send her the occasional email so she knows I'm still alive and well and… it's just better this way for now, you know?"

"Are you sure about that? I mean… she's your family Elena, doesn't she deserve to know all of this?"

I considered that for a moment, watching the kettle start to steam. "If you could go back, to before you knew anything about vampires, or witches or any of this craziness, would you?"

"No." Bonnie answered with absolute conviction. "But then again, it's part of who I am. Even if I never knew about the rest of it, witches have been in my family line for hundreds of years."

"Okay, but if you could go back to where your biggest worry was… whether or not you had last season's shoes, or… if your hair was going to last the rest of the day without going flat… would you choose that? I mean, life was a lot simpler back then." I pointed out.

"It kinda sounds like you wish you could go back to those days." She observed carefully, adding mini marshmallows to each of the mugs.

A long sigh passed my lips as I turned off the water just before the kettle started to whistle. "I do and I don't. I mean I miss those days but at the same time… they seem incredibly empty compared to now. I wasn't happy then either."

"So you're saying you're not happy now?"

"What? No!" Christ it was coming out all wrong. "I'm happy with a lot of things, just not happy that we've got this curse hanging over our heads. But the rest of it… Damon, the vampire thing and everything that goes with it… yeah, I'm happy with the way things turned out." I mused aloud, a smile coming to my lips.

"I'm glad." Bonnie smiled back at me, standing back so I could pour the boiling water. "Have you thought about what you're going to do after the curse is broken? Are you gonna come back to school?"

It had been over six months since I'd dropped out of school and it was strange to think about going back. "I don't know…" I frowned over my task. "I mean it's not like I'm going to go to college or get a job or do any of those normal human things anymore."

"Why not? With the ring you could hold down a day job and live like everyone else, right?"

But I wasn't like everyone else.

"It's hard to think that far into the future. Once crisis at a time I think. Today's crisis… trying to avoid burning the roof of my mouth on hot chocolate."

It took Bonnie a minute to let go of the subject before she returned my smile, following me back out to the living room.

* * *

"We did it!" Alaric's voice was triumphant, as they returned much, much later. Jeremy and Bonnie had left hours before and Damon and I had settled in on the couch to watch "chick movies" as he liked to put it.

Instantly bounding off the couch, my grin was a mile wide as Stefan came in right on his heels, looking just as giddy with success as Alaric did. Lexi brought up the rear, looking less jubilant than the pair but happy nonetheless.

"You actually did it?" Damon's brows came up in shock as he looked from Alaric to Stefan. "You not only found another vampire, but managed to cut out his heart?"

"You make it sound like you didn't have any faith we could pull it off." Stefan frowned.

"I didn't." Damon retorted. "How did you even find a vampire willing to meet with you?"

"Craigslist." Alaric beamed. "Isobel once showed me how some vampires communicate, sending anonymous messages to one another."

"Did you know about this?" I asked Damon, my eyes wide.

"No, I'd be surprised if you didn't get a lot of posers." He frowned.

"Well we did, but we were able to weed out the posers and find us a bonafide vampire who agreed to meet with us." Stefan looked inordinately pleased with himself.

"Why would they agree to meet with you? I'm assuming you didn't advertise that you were looking for someone to play butcher with?" I smirked.

"That was my contribution to the scheme." Lexi raised her hand, flopping down on the couch. "I posted my pic and said I was looking for a little late night companionship, daywalkers need not apply."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" I frowned. "I'm thinking you had to get rid of the vampire after you cut out part of his heart, right? If someone comes looking for him they're gonna find the ad with your picture on it."

Stefan and Alaric had the good grace to look a little sheepish. "We bribed him." Lexi replied, looking unconcerned.

"He's still alive? And he was okay with you cutting into him?" Damon looked just as incredulous as I was feeling.

"What did you want me to do? We had to make sure he survived, right? That means we have to keep him under observation for a while." Lexi replied.

"So where is he now?" I asked, wondering what he'd been bribed with and how much this would end up costing us.

"He's in my basement." Alaric volunteered. "Locked up tight. We thought it would be better if we didn't bring him here so no one knew you were involved."

For a bunch of smart people, they sure were acting incredibly stupid. "But you thought it was better to invite him into your house so he can come back for a snack after you let him go?" I pointed out, gratified to see the color drain from Alaric's face as he considered the ramifications of their actions.

"Well… we could always blindfold him when we leave…" Stefan suggested. "He was a little distracted when we got there, he might not know how to find the place again."

"This is what happens when you don't involve me in the planning process." Damon muttered.

"Hey the point is it worked. We cut out a big chunk of his heart and he didn't exactly like it, but he's alive. Or undead. Whatever you want to call it." Lexi defended them.

She was right on that point, this was definitely a cause for celebration. I turned to Damon who was looking less than thrilled by the news. "I want to see it." He demanded.

"See what?" Stefan asked.

"The heart, I want to see the piece you cut out of him."

"We didn't bring it with us…" Alaric replied, "But if you're so hot to see it, you can come back to my place and check it out."

"I will. I want to take a look at this guy too, talk to him." Damon insisted.

"Okay, we can go whenever you want." He shrugged.

I listened to them chat about how it all went down with half an ear, but mostly I was thinking of bigger picture things. Damon wouldn't be satisfied till he saw the piece of heart and talked to the guy himself; I knew that as much as I trusted the sun would rise in the morning. But he would see it and touch it with his own hands and then he'd have to admit that it could be done. We'd argue and probably scream at each other about even thinking about attempting the spell, and I'd have to cajole him into it of course, but it could be done.

A smile curved my lips as I watched them rehash the night's triumph. It was gonna hurt like hell and it might take weeks or even months before I was fully healed. But it could be done.

We were going to break that curse.

**A/N: Getting closer to the end now. Sing out if you have any things you'd like to see in the final chapters, any loose ends you'd like to see addressed. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a happy ending with Damon...**

**Sorry for the delay guys, I'm hip deep in research for my next book which centers around ghost hauntings in New Orleans.**

**I'm glad you liked the Craigslist bit, I had some fun imagining how that must have gone down for them and what kind of replies they must have received. **

_I listened to them chat about how it all went down with half an ear, but mostly I was thinking of bigger picture things. Damon wouldn't be satisfied till he saw the piece of heart and talked to the guy himself; I knew that as much as I trusted the sun would rise in the morning. But he would see it and touch it with his own hands and then he'd have to admit that it could be done. We'd argue and probably scream at each other about even thinking about attempting the spell, and I'd have to cajole him into it of course, but it could be done._

_A smile curved my lips as I watched them rehash the night's triumph. It was gonna hurt like hell and it might take weeks or even months before I was fully healed. But it could be done. _

_We were going to break that curse._

_

* * *

_

The three days went by lightning fast. I didn't go with Damon when he went to see the vampire that the others had experimented on, but I did see the troubled look on his face when he returned. Maybe he'd been telling himself that it was all some kind of trick, but at finding him alive and if not quite well then at least on the mend, he began to seriously entertain the notion that he might have to go through with it after all.

We didn't go out much, mostly staying around the house, just spending time together talking about everything and nothing. Both acutely aware of the passage of time, neither one of us brought up the upcoming ritual until the afternoon Mirella showed up at the door.

"Who's ready for a party?" She jangled her shoulder bag made of brightly woven tapestry depicting the sun on one side and the moon on the other.

"Come in." I invited her, stepping back as she crossed the threshold. Damon's face was ashen, even for a vampire.

"Oh come on you guys, you're acting like someone's gonna die." Mirella smirked, setting her bag on the floor.

"Someone still could." Damon replied sourly, heading straight for the bar to pour himself a hefty drink.

"Not if you do exactly what I say." She said earnestly.

"Okay so when and where are we gonna do this thing?" I asked, figuring the more I could learn about the actual ritual itself, the more prepared I would feel. That might just kill some of the butterflies swirling around in my stomach. Maybe.

"Outside would be best, tonight." Mirella replied.

"When, at the stroke of midnight?" Damon kept his back turned to us, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

"Actually it'll be closer to about one thirty am."

"That seems… specific, how did you arrive at that time? Did you consult your crystal ball?" Even without seeing the smirk, I could tell from his tone that it was there.

Still, Mirella seemed unfazed. "No, the internet actually. I googled what time the new moon officially starts. It said one twenty three in the morning."

"Can't argue with that." Damon muttered.

"Would you like something to eat? We don't have a whole lot on hand… strictly a vampire household but sometimes we get the munchies." I offered.

Mirella shook her head. "No, I'm good. I like to do stuff like this on an empty stomach, it's much prettier that way if something goes wonky."

That didn't sound so good. "Wonky… like…"

"Oh, nothing for you to worry about." She waved a hand back and forth, falling silent as Lexi and Stefan came down the stairs together.

Why did that not make me feel any better? Still on my quest for details, I forged on. "So, will we do it in here or do you need like a sacred space or…"

"Outside would be better, this could get a little messy."

"Right." Because Damon was going to carve into my chest cavity, why didn't I think of that? I swallowed, feeling a little queasy all of a sudden.

"I think there's a space out back that would work if you want to come and take a look at it." Lexi offered. After a quick round of introductions, they went out to the backyard with Stefan bringing up the rear.

"I can't do this." Damon pressed the glass to his forehead.

"Yes you can, it'll all be over tonight." I insisted, rolling my eyes at the look he gave me in reply. "I mean in a good way."

"I think I might have to be the one to shut off my emotions tonight." He growled, knocking back the rest of his drink, Damon turned and left the room without another word.

* * *

Alaric, Bonnie and Jeremy came over that night to watch the proceedings. Bonnie out of professional curiosity she said, and Jeremy to give me moral support. Alaric looked… on edge. A little antsy but at the same time full of dread, like he expected something (or everything) to go wrong. Not needing to add that to my nerves, I avoided him as much as possible.

We gathered outside when it was getting close to start time, and without any outside lights or a moon it was _dark _out there. Those of us with vampire enhanced vision didn't have a problem getting around, but I heard Jeremy swear under his breath as he nearly tripped over the uneven ground.

Mirella wore a simple white shift, feet bare, her long hair loose down her back. No gypsy scarves, beaded necklaces or other trappings, she had told me earlier that she wasn't there to put on a show, this was the real deal. The only adornment she wore was a personal talisman of sorts, which looked like a knucklebone wrapped in silver wire and suspended by a leather thong around her neck.

In the yard was a circle laid out in white stones with a small altar built in the center from the same white stones. Atop the altar was a wooden bowl made of oak, a long wooden skewer tipped with silver and a gleaming knife, the hilt fashioned out of bone. On the ground beside the altar was a section of the grass that had been cleared away, leaving freshly dug earth. I was about to ask about the wood skewer when I saw Isobel step into the yard.

Maybe it was selfish of me, but I couldn't help but feel a leap of joy within me at the sight of her. Was she there to offer herself up for the sacrifice instead? But Isobel made no such offers, merely taking her place by Alaric. "I came to see it done." She said cooly. Obviously her emotions were still under tight control.

Looking up at Damon, I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he calculated whether or not he could drag Isobel into that circle to take my place. Catching hold of his arm, I shook my head at him. Damon tensed, but he held his place beside me.

"We're almost ready to begin." Mirella announced, pushing her hair back over her shoulders. "So what's going to happen is, I'm going to step into the circle, do a little bit of preparation and then I'll call for the sacrifice, that means you." She pointed at me. "You'll lay down on the earth there and then I'll call for the hand of fate, that means you." She pointed to Damon. "You'll wait for my signal… that's very important.

When the time comes, I want to you jab this wooden rod into her shoulder here beneath the collar bone." Mirella pressed a finger to his shoulder in demonstration.

"What? You didn't say anything about this before." Damon demanded, his eyes snapping with anger. I admit, I didn't like the idea of being skewered either, and I wondered why we were just hearing about this little tidbit now.

Mirella's hands came up in a gesture of supplication. "It's for her protection. When you stake Elena, her body will go into torpor… meaning it'll be so busy reacting to the wood that it won't pay attention to the knife right away. As long as you don't get near her heart with the stake she'll be fine. Just try not to puncture her lung, that'll take longer to heal."

It made sense in a twisted sort of way, but Damon had that look about him again. "I don't know about this…" He muttered.

"Then what happens?" I prompted her, wanting to get any more surprises out of the way.

"Then, Damon takes the knife and cuts out a piece of your heart like we talked about, and put it in this bowl. I'll take it from there."

"How will we know if it worked?" Isobel asked.

"You'll know." Mirella replied serenely. "Now let me prepare." She stepped into the circle and knelt in front of the altar, her eyes closing.

"I don't think I can do this…" Damon muttered, his eyes on the knife sitting on the pile of stones.

"I can." Stefan stepped forward.

"What?"

"I'll do it. I was the one who cut into the other vampire; I know how it's done." He offered.

I stared at him in shock.

"No, you're fucking not going to cut her." Damon growled, his arm wrapping around me protectively.

"We don't have time for this guys…" Lexi said.

Stefan didn't back down, if anything he took a half step closer to me. "I love her too, if you can't do it, I'll be the one to make the sacrifice."

"Stop it!" I yelled, my eyes on Mirella who now stood just inside the circle, the knife in her hand.

"Let the sacrifice approach." She said simply, and I moved to the edge of the circle to stand before her. Mirella laid the gleaming knife against the side of my throat. "Do you enter of your own free will?"

"I…"

"I do." Another voice rang out as a figure appeared at the edge of the trees. It was like looking though a mirror into an alternate version of myself.

Katherine.

Physically she was my perfect match. My own eyes looked back at me; my voice came from her lips but there was no connection to her, no sense that she was in any way related to me no matter what I knew about the Petrova line. I could only stare in mute fascination as she took my place, lying down on the loamy soil, her expression serene.

Unperturbed by the change of events, Mirella continued with the ritual. "Let the hand of fate approach." She called out. Damon remained fixed by my side, staring at Katherine.

Stefan approached the circle calmly as Mirella laid the knife to his throat. "Do you enter of your own free will?"

"I do." Mirella stepped back and Stefan crossed into the circle, his eyes on Katherine. "This won't work…" he murmured. "I don't love her."

The corner of Katherine's lips tugged up in amusement. "But I love you Stefan. I always have and I always will." Her eyes held his for a long moment before she turned and looked right at me. "I never meant for you to shoulder this burden alone, this is my mess and I'm gonna clean it up." She let out a long drawn out sigh, looking back up at Stefan again. "Brace yourself, this might hurt a little."

"No!" Guessing what was coming next, Lexi rushed forward, but Damon caught hold of her with difficulty.

"You can't help him now, only one thing can." Damon hissed.

"No, she'll kill him…" Lexi struggled even as Stefan staggered to his knees, a low cry of pain issuing from his lips as Katherine turned her emotions back on and Stefan felt the full brunt of the curse for the first time. He looked like he was going to keel over, his face etched with suffering.

Mirella chanted low and unintelligible in the background, giving Stefan a few precious seconds to recover, but all too soon she looked to him. "Rise now and let the hand of fate deliver the sacrifice." Still on his hands and knees, Stefan gave no sign that he heard her.

"Get up!" Damon called out, and his brother's head came up a fraction. He had to do it now, I didn't want to think about what might happen if we lost this opportunity. Would we have to wait a month until the next new moon? Or could Damon and I take their places and try again?

"Rise now!" Mirella commanded, and Stefan forced himself up on his knees.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, grasping hold of the slim wooden rod. Almost falling with the motion towards Katherine, he pierced her flesh, partially obscuring her from my sight as he lay atop her. Katherine gave a weak gasp, in too much pain to draw breath in again and scream, her eyes rolling up into her head as she lay there pinned to the ground.

Mirella pressed the silver knife into Stefan's hand. "The heart, hurry now."

I couldn't watch. I buried my head into Damon's chest, relieved to feel his arms close around me in comfort. In that moment I cursed my superior hearing that spared me no detail as the knife plunged into her chest, severing bone to reach the delicate treasure guarded beneath. With a sickening plop, I heard the piece of her heart hit the wooden bowl and I looked up to see Stefan collapsed beside Katherine, his chest rising and falling slowly, very near unconsciousness.

I couldn't make out the words Mirella was chanting, I suspect they weren't in English, but she laid the bowl on the makeshift altar, stepping back as the contents spontaneously burst into flame. She held the bloodstone pendant over the flames and as I watched it was consumed by the flame, dissolving into ash that fell into the wooden bowl that strangely didn't seem affected by the fire at all. There was a bright flash and I was hurled off of my feet. It felt just like the time I'd been tackled by a linebacker with a terrible sense of direction back in my cheerleading days. For a second I couldn't see or hear as my body absorbed the blow, and then everything came back in a rush.

A wave of dizziness washed over me. I pushed myself up on my elbows, even as Bonnie and Jeremy rushed to my sides to help me up. My view obstructed, I couldn't help but wonder "Is Damon okay?" A painful groan let me know he was at least still alive, and I reached past my brother for his hand. "Are you okay?" I asked him, worry overtaking me that he'd been hurt worse than I had and been in less shape to handle it in the first place.

Damon sat up, a dazed look on his face. "Besides feeling like I just got hit by a Mack truck? Yeah I feel…" he took a long, slow breath, his head cocked to one side. "I feel… pretty good."

"Did it work?" I was almost afraid to ask; I couldn't take another defeat, not after everything we'd been through.

"Yeah I… I think it did. I feel…"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence because I threw myself into his arms, lips crashing into his as tears of relief spilled from my eyes. "I can't believe it's finally over." I whispered into his neck, holding tight to him.

"We made it. We really did." He murmured into my hair. We sat like that for a long time, not speaking, just holding each other. I saw Jeremy and Bonnie step back, watching us, looking pretty emotional themselves. Turning my head, I watched Isobel approach Alaric cautiously, and saw him pull her into his embrace. While I felt a little bit of a pang for Jenna's loss, at seeing his face as he held his wife, my own mother, I couldn't help but be happy for them.

Belatedly it occurred to me that Katherine might very well not have survived the ordeal. Lifting my head, I turned in the other direction, only then noticing Stefan bent over her still form. The wooden rod had been removed from her shoulder, but I couldn't tell if she was alive or not until the barest of sounds issued from her lips, too weak for me to understand.

"Ssssh don't talk now, drink." Stefan replied, offering her his wrist. I closed my eyes again at seeing her sink her teeth into his vein, and the look of rapture that covered both of their faces. It was too private a moment to spy on.

"Will she be alright?" I asked softly, turning my face back to Damon's chest.

"If anyone could survive that it's Katherine, she's older than the rest of us put together." He surmised, and I had to agree, she was probably the best person suited for the sacrifice, both because of that and because she'd been the one the curse had originated with.

Only Lexi stood alone, and my heart went out to her as she watched Stefan and Katherine together. She met my eyes only once, giving me a lopsided smile as she wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Let's go inside." Damon said softly, placing a kiss on top of my head. With one swift movement, he scooped me up into his arms, carrying me easily to the house. There was more that needed saying, and payment that still needed to be made to the Gypsy for helping us, but for the moment I let him sweep me up to his bedroom to show me just how recovered he was feeling.

**A/N: Just the epilogue left I think and we'll be done with this one too. Any loose ends you'd like to see wrapped up?**

**So I'm told that there is another story out there that bears a striking resemblance to my proposed story Sweet Misery (otherwise known as secret option #5!). The basic premise is the same in that Damon and Katherine are together and they come to Mystic Falls and he meets Elena. Other than that it's completely different from what I had in mind though, including Katherine's agenda. That one was posted first last November and I had the first idea about my fic around mid December, so it's just an odd coincidence. I got my inspiration from a song from the Queen of the Damned soundtrack actually. The thing about fanfic is that none of us own the characters so there is bound to be some overlap in plot as we all come up with a different spin on things. At the same time, I'm not interesting in rehashing anything someone else is doing, nor do I want to alienate any readers by thoughts of my stealing plots. Lord knows I have plenty of other things to write about, but this one idea seemed vastly popular when put to the vote. So I'll have to think it over as to if I'll be writing this one next or something else. **

**I've been watching a lot of westerns lately (mostly Deadwood and oh yeah, can I just say that I'm addicted to Justified?) and I had another idea for an AU TVD fic that would center around Damon and Elena in the old west. They'd both be human, she would have been married to his brother, but when Stefan dies, Damon agrees to marry his widow and take care of her and her small child. I like the idea of them getting to know each other, starting with a loveless marriage of convenience and seeing him interact with a child around, all with that older, more formal set of rules of living and speaking. **

**Any thoughts, opinions, emotional outbursts? I'd love to hear from you. **

**Feedback is Love People**


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a happy ending with Damon...**

**Ok guys, I lied. This turned into longer than one chapter, so there will be one more after this one. Enjoy!**

"_We made it. We really did." He murmured into my hair. We sat like that for a long time, not speaking, just holding each other. I saw Jeremy and Bonnie step back, watching us, looking pretty emotional themselves. Turning my head, I watched Isobel approach Alaric cautiously, and saw him pull her into his embrace. While I felt a little bit of a pang for Jenna's loss, at seeing his face as he held his wife, my own mother, I couldn't help but be happy for them._

_Belatedly it occurred to me that Katherine might very well not have survived the ordeal. Lifting my head, I turned in the other direction, only then noticing Stefan bent over her still form. The wooden rod had been removed from her shoulder, but I couldn't tell if she was alive or not until the barest of sounds issued from her lips, too weak for me to understand. _

"_Ssssh don't talk now, drink." Stefan replied, offering her his wrist. I closed my eyes again at seeing her sink her teeth into his vein, and the look of rapture that covered both of their faces. It was too private a moment to spy on._

"_Will she be alright?" I asked softly, turning my face back to Damon's chest._

"_If anyone could survive that it's Katherine, she's older than the rest of us put together." He surmised, and I had to agree, she was probably the best person suited for the sacrifice, both because of that and because she'd been the one the curse had originated with. _

_Only Lexi stood alone, and my heart went out to her as she watched Stefan and Katherine together. She met my eyes only once, giving me a lopsided smile as she wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her hand. _

"_Let's go inside." Damon said softly, placing a kiss on top of my head. With one swift movement, he scooped me up into his arms, carrying me easily to the house. There was more that needed saying, and payment that still needed to be made to the Gypsy for helping us, but for the moment I let him sweep me up to his bedroom to show me just how recovered he was feeling. _

_

* * *

_

It was late the next morning when I woke up. Damon was sacked out asleep and didn't budge when I nudged him, but for once I didn't have to worry if he was at death's door. He was just worn out from being up for most of the night proving to me just how _fit_ he was feeling.

Padding downstairs in my bare feet, I went straight for the basement to retrieve a little A negative refreshment, heading for the microwave to heat it up a bit when I ran into Stefan, emerging from the kitchen with a mug of the same in his hand. "Wow, I didn't even have to ask." I teased, knowing the blood wasn't for me.

"I didn't. Actually it's for Katherine." His eyes rose in the direction of his bedroom.  
"She's still in pretty bad shape even after having some of my blood and Lexi's."

So Lexi had let Katherine feed off of her. Interesting. "I can imagine, it's a pretty traumatic thing what you did last night. But at least she's still alive, right?" Moving past him, I pulled down my own mug, filling it from the bag.

Instead of continuing up to Katherine's side, Stefan lingered, hovering by the kitchen door. "Yeah, she's still alive." He repeated softly. "We stayed up all night, talking when she felt up to it. It's… still a lot to wrap my head around, this idea that she's been out there thinking about me all this time."

"Did any of it all come back? You know, any of those feelings you used to have for her?" I prompted him gently.

"I don't know. It was such a long time ago… my memories of the time we spent together are so muddled. I don't know what was real and what was compulsion." He shook his head miserably. "But to think of everything she sacrificed for me… What do I say to that? Um, thanks but no thanks?"

"What are you looking for in a girl, Stefan?" I asked, hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter.

His lips curved into that familiar smile. "The girl of my dreams is kind, smart, brave, generous, sometimes a little rash, beautiful…" He looked up into my eyes and I knew he wasn't talking about generalities.

"Stefan…"

"No, I know. I can see the way you two look at each other, I finally get it." There was acceptance in his voice now, mingled with disappointment.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, but I think if you search your heart, you just might find someone else in there that fits the bill."

"What, Katherine?"

"No, someone a little closer to home." I waited for him to catch up with me, but he just stared back at me blankly. "Lexi?" I prompted, and he continued to stare at me without uttering a single word. "I'm just saying. You guys are already great together."

"Yeah, but she's my friend."

"That's not the worst way to start out you know." I pointed out.

"But what about Katherine?"

The microwave beeped, and I retrieved my mug, pausing as I passed him in the doorway. "If you truly don't love her back, the least you can do is set her free."

* * *

"Hey gorgeous, why didn't you wake me?" Damon yawned, coming down the tail end of the stairs in a pair of jeans, his shirt unbuttoned, leaving him looking tousled and sexier than he had any right to be.

"Hey sleepyhead." I presented my lips for the requisite kiss. "I tried to wake you up, but you were dead to the world. Want a little snack?" I offered him the mug.

Damon wrinkled his nose at it, "No thanks, we should go out hunting later, just the two of us." He waggled his brows at me.

"I won't say no to that." It felt like ages since we'd been able to share those simple pleasures, and I couldn't wait to start the rest of our lives together.

"Before the two of you get too far in your plans to murder and plunder, do you mind if we conclude our business together?" Mirella appeared, her bag in hand.

"We weren't planning on actually killing anyone you know." I replied quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea about us.

"Yet…" Damon muttered, his eyes wary, and I elbowed him discreetly before he wrapped his arms around me protectively.

"We never did discuss the price for your help with the spell last night." Probably something we should have nailed down ahead of time, but it was too late to worry about it now.

"Oh relax, I'm not looking for your first born or anything." Mirella rolled her eyes at Damon. "But this should cover it." She handed over a folded sheet of paper.

Damon opened the scrap of paper and his eyes bulged. "Are you high? You've gotta be kidding me, there's no way I'm paying you this much."

"How much is your life worth to you? I could always put the curse back on…" Mirella's eyes glittered dangerously.

"Not if I kill you first…" Things were deteriorating rapidly and I grabbed hold of Damon's arms to keep him from doing something foolish.

"I'll pay it." Isobel interrupted from the entryway. We all looked up at her with varying degrees of reaction.

"Works for me, you have the account number." Mirella smiled, shouldering her bag.

"What just like that? You're not even going to haggle?" Damon looked appalled at the notion.

"Just like that. I'll have it to you by Monday, will that suffice?" Isobel nodded at Mirella in passing.

"Yeah, that'll do. Well, it was nice meeting you all. Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I never see any of you again." With a final smile, Mirella was gone.

"Thank you." I had to say it. If it wasn't for Isobel, we wouldn't have even known how to find a gypsy to lift the curse in the first place. Whatever abandonment issues I had, there was no way not to acknowledge her part in resolving our problems.

Isobel nodded, a faint smile on her lips as she looked back at me. "You don't mind if we have a little girl talk, do you?" She asked Damon.

"Aw, you mean I don't get to stay and braid your hair? Damn…" Damon smirked, pressing a kiss to my temple as he released me. "Don't be too long, we have things to talk about ourselves." He added, heading for the kitchen.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked as soon as we were alone. She looked nervous, which was a first. Isobel usually looked so composed.

"I wanted… needed you to understand why I did some of the things I did." She began but I cut her off.

"No I get it. I do, really. We all made hard choices to keep the curse from affecting the people we love."

"No, I'm talking about before that, before I knew about curses, or vampires or anything supernatural. I'm talking about when I gave you to the Gilberts to raise."

"Oh, that." I hadn't had much time to dwell on that with everything else going on. I'd had a good life with the Gilberts, and had never suffered from abandonment issues. "It's okay Isobel."

"No, it's not okay. I don't want you to think that it's something I did lightly. Part of me wanted to keep you in the worst way. It was made clear to me that if I wanted to stay in the family I _had_ to put you up for adoption. You have to understand, times were different back then. It wasn't like a girl of sixteen could make enough to support herself and…" She swallowed; her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

"So I let them talk me into giving you up. Your parents seemed like such good, solid people and I thought I could still watch you grow up, you know? Maybe I could be like your favorite aunt and still share a part of your life." She sniffed. "But my parents shipped me off to live with my grandmother who treated me like the devil's own whore for getting pregnant out of wedlock and I never got to see you except for the odd picture your father sent me. By the time I got my shit together and built a life with Alaric and even thought about contacting you … well then I found out about the curse and there was no way I could expose you to that kind of danger. But I never stopped thinking about you. Never." She reached out to touch my hair, so like her own. "And here you are, all grown up."

It was hard not to cry and I blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. There were a lot of things I could say to her. Questioning why she'd never at least tried to see me or told me that she existed after my parents died, but in the end, hadn't we all endured enough pain? Instead I just hugged her. She hugged me back, holding me tight as we cried into each other's hair.

"Everything okay in here?" Damon poked his head in, concern etched on his features.

"Yeah, we're good." I nodded, pulling back to swipe at my eyes with a smile.

"Better than good." Isobel smiled back.

"There's just one thing I need to know." It had been worrying at the back of my mind. "Who was my father?"

"You don't know?" She gasped in astonishment.

"How could I?"

"Oh… sorry. I just thought for sure he would have told you after the funeral." I stared at her blankly until she recovered from her surprise. "It's John. John Gilbert."

"John, as in my uncle John?" I sank down onto the nearest available chair, my legs feeling rubbery. "Uncle John?" I repeated in shock. My relationship with him had never been great. In fact, he was kind of a tool.

"Yes, your uncle John."

"So much for your taste in guys." Damon muttered, moving quickly to my side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little… overwhelmed here for a minute." I clutched hold of his hand, drawing comfort from the simple touch.

"Okay, I think that's enough family reunion time. Isobel, it's been a pleasure as always." Damon said dismissively.

"No, it's okay, I'm fine." I spoke up.

"Actually I should probably get going." Isobel smiled just for me, ignoring Damon for the moment.

"Are you leaving so soon?" There were a ton of questions I still had for her, bits of my life and hers… I wanted to get to know her.

"Yeah, but I'm not going far. I'm meeting Alaric for coffee."

"So you and he are…"

"Technically we're still married." Her smile grew wider.

"Actually technically you're dead, so he's a widower." Damon drawled.

"Damon, always a pleasure." Isobel smirked back at him. "Maybe I could call you next week and we could talk more?" She looked to me, hopeful.

"I'd like that." I smiled in return.

"Now… we have a few things of our own to discuss." Damon turned my face towards his, brushing his lips against mine.

* * *

I'd love to tell you that Damon and I lived happily ever after. That nothing ever went wrong again. That we settled into a perfect life together, sharing the house with Stefan and Lexi. That Isobel and Alaric remarried and adopted three children. That Jeremy went to college, majored in business management and set up his own chain of dry cleaning stores. That Bonnie fell for my brother of all people, and they moved in together. That Caroline married Matt and they had seven chubby little blonde children. That Jenna married her high school sweetheart, and started her own family. That 'Aunt Katherine' visited once a year and spoiled all the children rotten while we drank eggnog around the Christmas tree. It would be a happy ending to the tale, wouldn't it?

Yeah, none of that happened.

**A/N: Okay don't freak out! The real final chapter will be coming soon and you know I won't leave you guys just hanging, but I couldn't resist one final cliffhanger!**

**I wanted to give a shout out to a great VD fic I've been following called "The Bounty" by Rambles12. It's an AU Delena fic set back in the 1800's with Damon as a bounty hunter sent after Elena's father who's gone missing. Stefan is formally courting Elena whose family has fallen on hard times with her father gone. The writing is just beautiful and the plot promises plenty of sparks between Damon and Elena as they have to work together to find her father for different purposes. No vampires, but the characterizations are great, and I'm looking forward to see where it's headed. Just thought I'd mention it since people seemed to be interested in some original plots with our beloved characters. **

**I've no idea what Vampire Diaries fic I'll be writing next. So more than likely I'll just take a shower and see what inspiration strikes (yes, that is where I get my best ideas and where I go when all of my plot bunnies have hopped away) and just go with what captures me at the moment. Seeing as how I've just started writing my latest book (hopefully to be completed by month's end) it'll likely be a week or two before I get started. So just keep an eye out for me in the coming weeks, I'll definitely be back!**

**Feedback is Love People**


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the canon characters, but I wouldn't mind a happy ending with Damon...**

**I want to give a brief shout out to SweetCake87 who let me know about the theft of my fic Nothing Like The Sun. Someone literally copied and pasted my entire story, added a bit to the end and called it their own. It's since been removed and I want to say thanks for bringing it to my attention!**

**Here we are guys, the final chapter! It's been a fun ride. Who would have thought a simple experiment to see if I could write in the first person would have turned out to be such a full blown story? Thanks to this story I wrote my 3****rd**** book **_**Angel of Mercy**_** in the first person and I had a great time with it. I'm back to third person for the next book, but we'll see what happens for the next fanfic. **

_I'd love to tell you that Damon and I lived happily ever after. That nothing ever went wrong again. That we settled into a perfect life together, sharing the house with Stefan and Lexi. That Isobel and Alaric remarried and adopted three children. That Jeremy went to college, majored in business management and set up his own chain of dry cleaning stores. That Bonnie fell for my brother of all people, and they moved in together. That Caroline married Matt and they had seven chubby little blonde children. That Jenna married her high school sweetheart, and started her own family. That 'Aunt Katherine' visited once a year and spoiled all the children rotten while we drank eggnog around the Christmas tree. It would be a happy ending to the tale, wouldn't it?_

_Yeah, none of that happened. _

_Well not exactly anyway._

*** ten years later ***

It never ceases to amaze me how the more things change, the more they stay the same. I hadn't been back to Mystic falls in a few years, but I still recognized all of the same old haunts. The movie theater, the town square, the high school, the Grill, they all looked the same.

Most of the time I didn't have to think much about my appearance. On the move, I rarely thought about how I hadn't aged in the past ten years.

Until I went home.

All of a sudden, I started to worry about people noticing that I looked exactly the same. I went through every piece of clothing to decide if it would be suitably grown up before I packed. I tried a dozen hairstyles, up, down, curly, straight, even contemplating chopping it all off to find a more mature look. In the end, I decided not to freak out over it. People had plastic surgery right? They dyed their hair to keep away the grays. Went to the gym to stay in shape and wore sunscreen to keep the wrinkles at bay. I'd just tell anyone that asked that I'd made a deal with the devil and let them make what assumptions they would.

But as I pulled up to the park, I was glad it was a sunny day, the protection my sunglasses gave me was probably my best ally. Heading straight for the tents erected for the bride and groom, I slipped into the bride's tent, looking for my friend but Jenna intercepted me before I'd gotten more than two steps inside.

"Elena, you're here!" Jenna cried, wrapping her arms around me.

"Jenna, you look fantastic!" I hugged her warmly in return.

"Me? Look at you; you look like you just stepped off the pages of a magazine! Me… my hips are getting wider every year." She sighed.

"Oh stop, you look great!" I assured her, and she did for a mother of two with another one on the way she was practically glowing with health. "Motherhood obviously agrees with you."

Jenna ducked a look outside to the seating area, her brows drawing together with concern. "You're not flying solo are you? Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem." I assured her quickly. I just wanted to take the scenic route, you know? Check things out."

"Mommy, I wanna be a flowers girl too." Her five year old son Owen appeared, tugging at her dress.

"Do not let your father hear you say that." She looked up to where her other son wrestled with her husband Mason. Old friends, they'd run into each other in town after she'd broken up with Alaric and they'd both fallen hot and heavy for each other. They'd been married within a few months and now had two kids with a third on the way. We'd never spoken about Alaric's reconciliation with my mother, his wife. I think she could understand him wanting to be with Isobel after "miraculously" finding her memory. Personally, I thought they could have come up with a better excuse than amnesia for Isobel's disappearance, but people seemed to buy it. "Say hello to your cousin Elena, Owen."

"Hello." The little boy replied dutifully, largely disinterested in me. "Can I have some flowers too?"

"Sure baby, we'll get you your own flowers before we go home, I promise." She dropped a kiss on his smooth cheek. "Now why don't you go sit with Daddy and Sammy, okay?"

"Okay mommy." He tore off at a dead run, not stopping until he reached Mason, who looked up with a loving smile for his wife before he accepted the friendly tackle.

"So much work keeping up with those two, I don't know where they get their energy from!" She laughed.

"He's gotten so big! I'm so happy for you Jenna, Mason's great. I just wish we could visit more often."

"Yeah, I wish you would too." Jenna reached out to hug me again before straightening and blinking away emotional tears of happiness. "Anyway the bride will be thrilled to see you; you'd better get in there. I think my work is done here."

"We'll catch up more later." I promised, moving to the inner chamber of the tent where Bonnie stood before a full length mirror, studying her reflection, until she noticed me standing there.

"Elena, you made it!" She turned in a cloud of white, and we hugged, carefully.

"Of course I did, I wouldn't miss this for the world." I smiled back. "You look beautiful."

"You look… just the same. I like this look though, very chic." She nodded approvingly.

I could relax now, take off my sunglasses and be myself. "Where's Caroline? I thought she'd be glued to your side, attending to all of the maid of honor stuff?"

"She's having a mommy emergency. Matt came to get her when Savannah got gum stuck in her hair. I think she was talking about going in search of some peanutbutter to get it out."

It sounded so domestic… "Wow. I so can't picture Caroline as a mom."

"She's done a lot of growing up over the past few years. And wait till you see Savannah, she looks just like her mom and she's got her daddy wrapped around her little finger too. But Matt couldn't be happier."

"And now it's your turn." I smiled, brushing the veil back so that it hung perfectly down over her shoulders

"Yeah, after all these years it's finally my day. Are you really sure you're okay with this Elena? I don't want there to be any weirdness between us." A furrow appeared on her forehead.

"What? Of course not, I already told you when you told me about the engagement, I couldn't be happier for the two of you. In fact, I don't know why you waited as long as you did to tie the knot."

"I wanted to be absolutely sure, I only want to do this once."

"And are you sure now?"

"Not a doubt in my mind." She smiled serenely.

"Welcome to the family."

* * *

Seated in the front row, I waited patiently for the ceremony to begin, my purse resting on the empty chair beside me. I was just considering sending a text message when I felt a familiar kiss on the back of my neck. "You're late."

"You're beautiful."

"You're forgiven." I smiled up at those beautiful blue eyes as he sat down beside me. "What took you so long?"

Damon gave me a look. "What do you think? The groom looks like he's going to pass out. I had to get a couple of drinks into him to keep him from shaking out of his pants." He smirked.

"You didn't…" The last thing Bonnie needed was a groom too drunk to stand up beside her.

"What? He's a big boy Elena; he can handle a couple of shots to steady his nerves."

"I know, it's just… he'll always be my little brother." I replied with a wistful smile.

"Your _little_ brother looks older than you now; he's even got a gray hair or two."

"He does not! He's not even thirty yet!" I laughed, smacking his arm playfully.

Okay maybe not, but he's a full grown man. About to marry and start a family."

"I can't wait to be an aunt." I sighed happily, thinking about all the ways we could spoil their children, the way we spoiled Jenna and Mason's kids whenever we had the chance.

Damon was silent then and I could guess what he was thinking. We'd never once talked about children; it didn't make sense to open that box when it wasn't an option for us. The music started up then and we both seized upon the distraction.

The ceremony was… long. Why was it that weddings tended to drone on and on when it wasn't you getting married? But the vows themselves were beautiful.

"Do you ever miss all this?" Damon whispered, in a voice so low only I could hear him.

"All what? Mystic falls?" I replied just as softly.

"No, that we didn't do the whole big family wedding?"

I looked down at the band of gold encircling my own finger, remembering our wedding in Venice. I couldn't have asked for a more romantic setting than to be surprised with an impromptu wedding on the water at sunset. Stefan and Lexi had been enlisted to help pull it off without my getting wind of it, but the ceremony itself had just been the two of us and I had loved every moment of it.

"Of course not, our wedding was perfect, just you and me, the way it'll be forever after." I leaned over to press a tender kiss to his cool cheek.

"Yeah but I know girls get all sentimental over the big…"

"Hey, I may still look like a teenage girl but I'm not the same wide eyed innocent that wrote nonsense in my diary like I did when you first came to town."

"Oh yeah? What do you write in your diary?" His eyes flashed and I could feel the familiar heat spring up between us.

"Nothing fit for print." I gave him a wicked smile of my own.

"And the family thing?"

"I told you, I'm happy to be Aunt Elena. That way I get to do all the fun things, and then send the kids home when they're cranky."

"Really?"

I loved that my badass vampire had this vulnerable side to him, as if I could destroy him with a single word. "Really. I love our life together." My fingers stroked across his beloved features, and in the next instant we were kissing, the rest of the world forgotten but for the feel of his lips on mine. The applause was enough to draw our attention though, and I pulled back in time to see Jeremy and Bonnie smiling at the crowd, walking down the aisle as man and wife. Damon and I clapped and cheered for them as well, knowing we had an eternity to finish what we'd started.

The reception was a fantastic party. It was great to see everyone again; I only wish that Stefan and Lexi could have been there. In the aftermath of the broken curse, Lexi had left town, not wanting to watch Stefan with Katherine after she'd recovered. It took Stefan less than two days to realize that he felt more than friendship for Lexi and he'd taken off after her. Unfortunately it took him two more months to catch up with her and tell her that he loved her too. It's a fantastic story actually; you should ask them about it sometime, I'm sure Lexi would be happy to tell it to you.

We traded emails and the occasional phone call but for whatever reason just didn't end up at the same place at the same time too often. While I was willing to risk the odd look over how little I'd changed in the past ten years to attend my brother's wedding, Stefan hadn't felt like he should show up still looking like he was seventeen. Instead he sent Jeremy and Bonnie a gift with his congratulations from Tuscany.

After the dancing started, I snagged a dance with my baby brother who did look older and stronger than I did, to my amusement. As we danced, I wondered what it would feel like when his children looked older than I did, and everyone I knew growing up would start to wither away and die.

"Penny for your thoughts." Jeremy asked, "Or should I be afraid to ask?"

"I was just thinking about the future is all." I shook away the momentary stab of melancholy. "Did you ever think about it? Going off with Anna and her mom?" Not long after we'd broken the curse, Bonnie had found the spell to open the tomb just long enough to get Pearl out of there. They'd left town soon after with a weakened Katherine and I hadn't heard from them since.

"That's a strange question for me after I just married Bonnie."

"No, I know, you guys are great together. I just wondered if you ever thought about, you know, immortality."

"Oh, that." He shook his head. "No, not really. I mean all most of us can ask for is the chance to live our lives with the people we love. Whether it's one year or a hundred, as long as I get the chance to spend it with the woman I love it'll be worth it."

"When did you get to be so smart?" I smiled up at him.

"It must have happened sometime after my sister left everything behind to be with the man she loves. You're a tough act to follow Elena."

"Well if you ever do want to… you know follow." It was the only time I'd ever mentioned turning him if that was what he wanted.

"I'll keep that in mind. But for now, I've got everything I ever wanted." He looked up and smiled at his bride.

My eyes sought out Damon then, who was dancing with Jenna, making her laugh over something silly thing. "Yeah, I've got everything I ever wanted too."

As for happily ever after? Who can say? As long as we're still living there's always a chance that doom and gloom might befall us. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that come what may, love really is eternal.

**A/N: So there we have it, the final chapter. Now while I can imagine a ton of adventures for vampire Elena and Damon to share over the years, I prefer to leave them this way for now, in a haze of happiness after everything I put them through.**

**BTW I think I'm leaning towards the western AU fic for Damon and Elena next. It'll prolly be a couple of weeks before I get started though, as I'm wading into my next book. If anyone wants to keep in touch, you can always check out my website (where I am still doing the VD episode recaps weekly) listed on my profile page, or follow me on Twitter under Mystewitch (not that it's all that exciting to hear about what I'm watching at the movies and whatnot. Though I do tend to update there when I've finished writing something or updated the website) **

**Thanks for sticking with me on this one, you guys rock!**

**Last Chance**

**Feedback is Love People**


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